The symptoms of H1N1 influenza virus infection closely resemble those of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. Both primarily affect the respiratory system and cause symptoms such as cough, fever, and fatigue. As accurate diagnosis and timely treatment are critical, various detection technologies such as surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, Raman, fluorescence, and electrochemical methods have been developed to distinguish these viral infections. Among these technologies, electrochemical-based field-effect transistors (FETs) incorporating two dimensional nanomaterials (graphene) have demonstrated highly superior performance. 1-pyrenebutyric acid-N-hydroxy-succinimide ester (PANHS) was used to functionalize the graphene surface to enhance the sensitivity and specificity of virus detection. However, PANHS has limitations owing to π-π interactions and a widely open the band gap. In this study, we developed a covalent bond-based interfacial chemistry approach involving N-heterocyclic carbenes and H1N1 influenza virus antibodies on side-gate FETs (hereafter flu bioelectronics). The properties and the surface functionalization were verified by density functional theory simulation and transmission electron microscopy and Raman analyses. The sensing performance of the flu bioelectronics was evaluated using real-time electrical monitoring, which demonstrated a limit of detection of 10⁰ pfu/mL and a rapid detection time of under 30 s. The linear detection range was extended from 10¹ to 10⁴ pfu/mL.

Keywords: Influenza, Bioelectronics, Graphene, Field-effect transistor, Interfacial chemical