Patent ID: 6979544

Claim:
A method of sensing the presence of an analyte component in an analyte with a sensor including (i) a plurality of polymer strands each having at least a first end and a second end and each aligned in a non random orientation, (ii) a plurality of molecular recognition headgroups having an affinity for said analyte component, being attached to said first ends of said polymer strands, and participating in a redox reaction when contacting a molecule of said analyte component, and (iii) an electrode substrate attached to said polymer strands at said second ends, the method comprising: contacting said molecular recognition headgroups with said analyte; and detecting an electrical signal at the electrode substrate resulting from mobile charge carriers generated by said redox reaction and transferred by said polymer strands to said electrode substrate to thereby sense the presence of the analyte component, wherein when said redox reaction occurs at a headgroup, a mobile charge carrier is transferred directly to a polymer strand attached to said headgroup, and wherein the analyte comprises a second component that changes conductivity of the polymer strands and thereby affects the electrical signal.