Detection and identification of breast cancer volatile organic compounds biomarkers using highly-sensitive single nanowire array on a chip.

A single nanowire array on a chip with different materials of Palladium, Polypyrrole and Zinc Oxide has been fabricated using electrochemical deposition method. The fabricated single nanowire array has been demonstrated for highly sensitive and specific diagnosis of breast cancer by detecting four volatile organic compound biomarkers: Heptanal, Acetophenone, Isopropyl Myristate and 2-Propanol. The demonstrated sensing limits for Heptanal, Acetophenone, Isopropyl Myristate and 2-propanol using individual Palladium, Polypyrrole and Zinc Oxide nanowires were 8.982 ppm, 798 ppb, 134 ppm, and 129.5 ppm, respectively, and the corresponding sensitivities of resistance change were in the range of 0.3%-5% which indicated excellent sensing performance of the single nanowires. The response time for Palladium, Polypyrrole and Zinc Oxide nanowires to achieve maximum conductance change was less than 200 seconds while also illustrating excellent signal repeatability. With the principal component analysis of the resistance change versus time in each detection period of the nanowire array, the smell prints for the four volatile organic compounds biomarkers of Breast Cancer are discriminated in the 3-D plots.