Vol.:(0123456789) 1 3 Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Electronics https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-020-03152-w Nanostructured cantilever sensor using with Pani/MWCNT‑COOH nanocomposites applied in the detection of pheromone Alexandra Nava Brezolin 1  · Janine Martinazzo 1  · Juliana Stefens 1  · Clarice Stefens 1 Received: 11 November 2019 / Accepted: 20 February 2020 © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020 Abstract The present work aims to develop a nanostructured cantilever sensor with Pani/MWCNT-COOH nanocomposite, applied in the detection of methyl 2,6,10-trimethyltridecanoate. This substance is the main component of the sexual pheromone of the brown stink bug. The cantilever sensor was functionalized with alternated layers of Pani and MWCNT-COOH operated in dynamic mode to detect the pheromone compound. The functionalized cantilever sensor presented a specifc binding to methyl 2,6,10-trimethyltridecanoate that induced a change in the resonance frequency response. The alteration in the resonance frequency showed a relationship with pheromone concentration. The detection limit was 2.18 fg/mL (ppq v ) for methyl 2,6,10-trimethyltridecanoate, with 0.03% hysteresis, 2.62 Hz/fg sensitivity, 50.4 ms of response time, and 99.7% reversibility. The nanostructured cantilever sensor did not show response to interference substances. In this way, the results showed that the nanostructured cantilever sensor with Pani/MWCNT-COOH nanocomposite is a very promise method to detect sexual pheromone from brown stink bug in small amounts, and has great potential for application in agriculture for pest control and insect infestation. 1 Introduction Insects are species that more depend on smell to perform the behavioral functions, the most important being sense, in front of hearing and sight. They use chemical signals to defne oviposition sites, mating, locating prey, defense, among others [1, 2]. The chemical substances used in the communication are called semiochemicals, and the phero- mones are included in the intraspecifc communication, where both emitter and receiver belong to the same species, diferent from the allelochemicals, which play an interspe- cifc role, where emitter and receiver are from diferent spe- cies. The allelochemicals are sub-classifed into three difer- ent types depending on the efects caused on the individual. When favored the receptor is called kairomone, benefts the emitter are allomone, and both (receiver and emitter are ben- efted) are senomones [3]. Pheromones can be called as sex pheromones when chemical signals are produced by insect sex to attract the opposite sex with the purpose of reproduction. These substances are considered very active, capable of causing [2] responses in very low concentrations [4, 5]. The pro- duction of sex pheromone molecules varies greatly. In all the pentatomids stink bugs studied, the males produce the pheromones in order of nanograms or picograms [6, 7]. In the Euschistus heros stink bug was identifed three male-spe- cifc acetates, 2,6,10-methyl trimethyltridecanoate, methyl (E, Z)-2,4-decadienoate and methyl 2,6,10-trimethyldode- canoate. Laboratory bioassays and feld tests have shown that E. heros females are attracted by the methyl 2,6,10-tri- methyltridecanoate molecule and the other two molecules are unnecessary for attraction [4, 8]. The development of nanosensors has been accentuated in diferent segments, and can be applied in the detection of pheromones molecules to estimate the population densities and average infestation, giving a guide for pest control strat- egy. Cantilever nanosensors have advantages such as sim- ple operation, small size, high detection limit, fast response times, low instrumentation cost, and minimum sample pre- treatment [9, 10], and not have yet be applied to mimetize and detect brown stink bug compounds. The cantilevers operation in dynamic mode, the detection of binding tar- get molecules on the surface layer result in additional mass and a decreased resonance frequency signal. Generally, the dynamic mode is useful for detecting large molecules [11]. * Clarice Stefens claristefens@yahoo.com.br 1 Food Engineering Department, URI - Campus of Erechim, Av. Sete de Setembro 1621, Erechim, RS 99709-910, Brazil