We are thrilled to announce the launch of the prestigious Outstanding Early Career Research Award, celebrates outstanding contributions in the realm of Sensors & Diagnostics. This initiative seeks to honour promising early career researchers' dedication, innovation, and impactful research endeavours.
We looked back at the exceptionally high-quality and innovative Sensors & Diagnostics research published during the previous calendar year and put together a shortlist of articles based on a variety of metrics including article downloads, Altmetric score, and citations. The shortlist was reviewed by the journal's Editorial Board members based on the science presented and its potential future impact.
Our 2023 winners
Paper: Handheld device quantifies breath acetone for real-life metabolic health monitoring
Grégoire Bastide, Anna Remund, Dina Oosthuizen, Nina Derron, Philipp Gerberb and Ines Weber
We developed a graphene-based field-effect transistor (gFET) capable of sensing and quantifying the presence of glucose, even in urine samples. To achieve this, we established a modification procedure for the graphene channel through the electrosynthesis of an electroactive polymer, onto which we integrated the glucose oxidase enzyme.
Furthermore, we demonstrated that the device response in the presence of glucose is attributed to the pH decrease in the vicinity of the graphene channel, resulting from the enzyme-catalyzed degradation of glucose. As a result, we can monitor changes in the degree of protonation of the electroactive polymer by assessing alterations in the conductivity properties of the gFET.
Thus, we leveraged the excellent electrical properties of graphene to use it as a conductive substrate onto which controlled polymer growth is achievable through electrochemical synthesis. Additionally, by employing a polyaniline with appended amino groups, we achieved a material with significant sensitivity to pH variations, enabling the conversion of enzymatic activity into an electronic readout.
The biosensors exhibit remarkable attributes, including a low limit of detection (LOD) of 4.1 μM. They also display a glucose detection range spanning from 10 to 1000 μM under flow conditions and a response time of 190 seconds. Moreover, they operate effectively under low gate-source and drain-source voltages. As previously mentioned, these biosensors can monitor glucose levels in urine samples, showcasing their potential for developing point-of-care glucose testing devices.
Read this paper
Guidelines for nominators
Find out who is eligible for this award, about the nomination process and see who is on the selection panel.
Nominations for this outstanding paper award are currently closed.
- Researchers must have gained their first independent research position in the ten years preceding the award year
- Researchers must have published an article in the journal in the previous calendar year
- All submissions will be subject to initial assessment and peer review as appropriate according to the journals guidelines
The editorial team draw up a shortlist of papers based on the elegibility criteria.
Winner(s) are selected by the Sensors & Diagnostics Editorial and Advisory Boards.
Selection panel
Our previous Outstanding Paper Award
This award was previously dedicated to recognising outstanding work published in Sensors & Diagnostics, celebrating the contributions of authors at all career stages
We are proud to honour past recipients of the Outstanding Paper Award. As of 2023, this award has been retired and succeeded by the Outstanding Early Career Research Award, which continues our tradition of celebrating exceptional publications and contributions.