Fuel cell virus sensor using virus capture within antibody-coated nanochannels

We report a unique fuel cell sensor system for the first time direct detection of unlabeled virus particles based on the formation of antibody-virus complexes within the sensor's membrane nanochannels. This strategy exploits the change in the membrane resistance of the powered system, comprising a Prussian blue nanotubes (PB-nt) membrane cathode and a platinum mesh anode. The method reports an impressive shortest response time of ∼5 min toward the specific virus target, at low concentration values of 3-45 plaque-forming units per milliliter (pfu mL(-1)) with detection limit of 0.04 pfu mL(-1), comparable to state-of-the-art polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based methods. The sensor can clearly differentiate dengue virus serotype 2 from serotype 3. When filled with Nafion perfluorinated resin, the PB-nt membrane demonstrates powerful utilization as a stand-alone fuel cell based virus sensor, and thus offers the outstanding promise of a sustainable, low-cost, and rapid low-power virus detection tool.