In 1986 a Field Emission Chemical Sensor for Receptor/Binder such as Antigen
Antibody was patented by J. A. Panitz [1].

The simple, lightweight and highly selective immunochemical sensor incorporated the single atom detection sensitivity characteristic of field electron emission with the analytic specificity of the antigen/antibody (immune) reaction.

The resulting Liquid Field Emission (LiFE) Detector is under development. It extends the patent with a large area detection capability for rapid ubiquitous surveillance. The ability to detect single molecules of carcinogens, chemical, biological and viral agents in blood and in the environment is anticipated. Click and wait for the slideshow.