In this review we present polymeric materials for (bio)sensor technology development. We focused on conductive polymers (conjugated microporous polymer, polymer gels), composites, molecularly imprinted polymers and their influence on the design and fabrication of bio(sensors), which in the future could act as lab-on-a-chip (LOC) devices. LOC instruments enable us to perform a wide range of analysis away from the stationary laboratory. Characterized polymeric species represent promising candidates in biosensor or sensor technology for LOC development, not only for manufacturing these devices, but also as a surface for biologically active materials’ immobilization. The presence of biological compounds can improve the sensitivity and selectivity of analytical tools, which in the case of medical diagnostics is extremely important. The described materials are biocompatible, cost-effective, flexible and are an excellent platform for the anchoring of specific compounds.

A convenient electrochemical sensing pathway for 17b-estradiol detection was investigated. The system is based on a conducting polymer and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) modified platinum (Pt) electrode. The miniature estradiol biosensor was developed and constructed through the immobilization of HRP in an electroactive surface of the electrode covered with electroconducting polymerpoly(4,7-bis(5-(3,4ethylenedioxythiophene)thiophen-2-yl)benzothiadiazole). The detection strategy is based on the fact that 17b-estradiol (E2) and pyrocatechol (H 2 Q) are co-substrates for the HRP enzyme. HRP, which does not react with E2, in the presence of H 2 O 2 catalyses the oxidation of H 2 Q to o-benzoquinone (Q). With the optimized conditions, such constructed biosensing system demonstrated a convenient level of sensitivity, selectivity in a broad linear range -0.1 to 200 mM with a detection limit of 105 nM. Furthermore, the method was successfully applied for hormone detection in the presence of potential interfering compounds (ascorbic acid, estriol, estrone, uric acid and cholesterol). Fig. 2 Schematic representation of the 17b-estradiol enzyme-based biosensor.9080 | RSC Adv., 2020, 10, 9079-9087This journal is

Over the past two decades, both fundamental and applied research in conducting polymers have grown rapidly. Conducting polymers (CPs) are unique due to their ease of synthesis, environmental stability, and simple doping/dedoping chemistry. Electrically conductive silicone polymers are the current state-of-the-art for, e.g., optoelectronic materials. The combination of inorganic elements and organic polymers leads to a highly electrically conductive composite with improved thermal stability. Silicone-based materials have a set of extremely interesting properties, i.e., very low surface energy, excellent gas and moisture permeability, good heat stability, low-temperature flexibility, and biocompatibility. The most effective parameters constructing the physical properties of CPs are conjugation length, degree of crystallinity, and intra- and inter-chain interactions. Conducting polymers, owing to their ease of synthesis, remarkable environmental stability, and high conductivity in the doped form, have remained thoroughly studied due to their varied applications in fields like biological activity, drug release systems, rechargeable batteries, and sensors. For this reason, this review provides an overview of organosilicon polymers that have been reported over the past two decades.

The study of neurotransmitters and stress hormones allows the determination of indicators of the current stress load in the body. These species also create a proper strategy of stress protection. Nowadays, stress is a general factor that affects the population, and it may cause a wide range of serious disorders. Abnormalities in the level of neurohormones, caused by chronic psychological stress, can occur in, for instance, corporate employees, health care workers, shift workers, policemen, or firefighters. Here we present a new nanomaterials-based sensors technology development for the determination of neurohormones. We focus on fluorescent sensors/biosensors that utilize nanomaterials, such as quantum dots or carbon nanomaterials. Nanomaterials, owing to their diversity in size and shape, have been attracting increasing attention in sensing or bioimaging. They possess unique properties, such as fluorescent, electronic, or photoluminescent features. In this Review, we summarize new trends in adopting nanomaterials for applications in fluorescent sensors for neurohormone monitoring.

Enzyme-based amperometric biosensors are proving to be important analytical tools in several fields such as food, environmental and, in recent years, the biomedical one. This work describes the use of 4,7-bis(5-(pyridin-2-yl)thiophen-2-yl)benzo [c][1,2,5]thiadiazole (TBT) in the development of a tyrosinase-based biosensor for epinephrine detection. The modifying agent was obtained as a film by electrochemical oxidation of TBT on a gold disk electrode. Electrochemical characterization and scanning electrode microscopy (SEM) images suggest the formation of a conducting film on the electrode surface. Tyrosinase from mushroom was then immobilized by a mixed technique of adsorption and cross-linking. Glutaraldehyde was used as a coupling agent. The obtained device shows a very good linear response (0.1-50 μM) with a LoD value of 0.06 μM and a LoQ of 0.09 μM. Moreover, good selectivity towards some typical interferents (namely, ascorbic acid, tryptophan, uric acid and L-cysteine) and satisfactory recoveries have been observed.

Correction for ‘Electrochemical biosensor for detection of 17β-estradiol using semi-conducting polymer and horseradish peroxidase’ by Kamila Spychalska et al., RSC Adv., 2020, 10, 9079–9087, DOI: 10.1039/C9RA09902F.

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