Thermistors and thermopiles

Simple thermocouples are not sensitive enough to detect variations in enzymatic reaction enthalpies. Thermistors and thermopiles can, however, detect such small variations in temperature. Thermistors are mixtures of metallic oxides and polycrystalline semiconductors. The high resistivity values of these materials gives a rapid response time owing to their small size and reduced calorific capacity. TTie resistance R of a thermistor is a function of temperature, T, according to the following expression ... 

Temperature sensors, such as the thermistors and thermopiles described in 4.4.4, can be used to monitor the variation in enthalpy arising from a reaction catalysed by an enzymatic label on either an andgen or an andbody. This technique is called TELISA (thermometric enzyme linked immunosorbent assay), and involves the use of reactor columns lined with antibodies, which detect antigens such as albumin [261]. These reactors, however, are not real biosensors. 

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