Organic conjugated polymers (conducting polymers) have emerged as potential candidates for electrochemical sensors. Due to their straightforward preparation methods, unique properties, and stability in air, conducting polymers have been applied to energy storage, electrochemical devices, memory devices, chemical sensors, and electrocatalysts. Conducting polymers are also known to be compatible with biological molecules in a neutral aqueous solution. Thus, these are extensively used in the fabrication of accurate, fast, and inexpensive devices, such as biosensors and chemical sensors in the medical diagnostic laboratories. Conducting polymer-based electrochemical sensors and biosensors play an important role in the improvement of public health and environment because rapid detection, high sensitivity, small size, and specificity are achievable for environmental monitoring and clinical diagnostics. In this review, we summarized the recent advances in conducting polymer-based electrochemical sensors, which covers chemical sensors (potentiometric, voltammetric, amperometric) and biosensors (enzyme based biosensors, immunosensors, DNA sensors).
A simple and fast method for electrochemical detection of amplified fragments by PCR was successfully developed using CE in a microfluidic device with a modified screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE). The surfaces of the SPCE were modified with poly-5,2'-5',2''-terthiophene-3'-carboxylic acid, which improves the analysis performance by lowering the detection potential, enhancing the S/N characteristics, and avoiding electrode poisoning. DNA fragments amplified by PCR were separated within 210 s in a 75.5 mm-long coated-separation channel at a separation field strength of -200 V/cm. To minimize the sample adsorption into the inner surface of the capillary wall, which disturbs the separation, a dynamically coated capillary with an acrylamide solution was used. Furthermore, the analysis procedure was simplified and rendered reproducible by using 0.50% w/v hydroxyethylcellulose as a separation matrix in a coated channel. The reproducibility of the analysis employing the coated channel yielded RSD of 4.3% for the peak areas and 1.4% for the migration times in eight repetitive measurements at a modified electrode, compared with 21.3 and 9.4% for a bare electrode. The sensitivity of the assay was 18.74 pAs/(pg/microL) with a detection limit of 584.31 +/- 1.3 fg/microL.
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