( Invited ) Breakthrough Detection of Foodborne Microbes Using Nanobrush-Structured Microbial Biosensors
Bacterial contamination remains a major threat to public health, food safety, and environmental monitoring. In this work, we report a nanobrush-structured microbial (NSM) biosensor capable of rapid, highly sensitive, and Gram-specific bacterial detection. The nanobrush geometry was optimized through controlled KOH etching and then coated with indium tin oxide layer. After that, NSM biosensor surface was functionalized with boronic acid (BA) to promote bacterial adhesion via cis-diol–mediated boronate ester bond formation. Extended Derjaguin–Landau–Verwey–Overbeek (XDLVO) analysis confirmed enhanced bacteria–surface interactions on BA-modified NSM electrodes, revealing reduced energy barriers and stronger adhesion forces. The BA-modified NSM biosensors exhibited a broad dynamic detection range (10 1 –10 7 CFU mL -1 ), a rapid response time of 9 min, and high specificity for Escherichia coli over Staphylococcus aureus , attributed to the abundant cis -diols on Gram-negative bacterial surfaces. Through precise tuning of nanobrush density and strategic BA surface engineering, interfacial interactions between bacterial membranes and nanostructured electrodes were significantly improved, leading to enhanced adhesion and sensing performance. This platform enables accurate detection of trace bacterial levels even in complex sample environments. Overall, this study demonstrates that nanoscale surface engineering, coupled with XDLVO-guided interfacial interaction modeling, provides a powerful framework for optimizing biosensor performance. The resulting NSM biosensor offers a versatile and label-free solution for real-time discrimination of Gram-negative foodborne pathogens. 1 Keywords: nanobrush-structured microbial biosensor, XDLVO theory, interfacial interactions, bacterial detection, foodborne pathogens. REFERENCES (1) Kumar, N.; Vinzons, L. U.; Shia, W.-Y.; Chu, P.-H.; Liao, Y.-T.; Liu, C.-W.; Lin, S.-P. Advanced nanostructured biosensors enabled by rational surface engineering for bacterial detection. Biosensors and Bioelectronics 2026 , 292 , 118112. Figure 1