Detection of Trace Amounts of Water in Organic Solvents by DNA-Based Nanomechanical Sensors

Detection of trace amounts of water in organic solvents is of great importance in the field of chemistry and industry. Karl-Fischer titration is known as a classic method and is widely used for detecting trace amounts of water, however, there are some limitations in terms of rapid and direct detection because of its time-consuming sample preparation and specific equipment. Here, we found that a DNA-based nanomechanical sensor exhibits high sensitivity and selectivity to water vapor, leading to the detection and quantification of trace amounts of water in organic solvents as low as 12 ppm in THF with ppb-level of LoD through their vapor. Since the present method is a simple and rapid method, this approach can be an alternative method of the conven-tional Karl-Fischer titration.