Review—Recent Advances in Carbon Nanomaterials as Electrochemical Biosensors

Abstract

In the last three decades, a lot of scientific research has been carried out in the field of Carbon nanomaterials all over the world due to their significant electronic, optical, mechanical, chemical and thermal properties. The zero, one, two and three dimensional Carbon nanomaterials (i.e. fullerenes, Carbon nanotubes, Graphene, Carbon quantum dots, Carbon Nanohorns, Nanodiamonds, Carbon Nanofibres and Carbon black) have exhibited such inherent features that can be easily exploited in the development of advanced technology for sensing applications. The employment of nanomaterials within sensors has paved new way and opportunities for the detection of analytes or target molecules. Carbon nanomaterials based electrochemical biosensors have reported biocompatibility, better sensitivity, better selectivity and lower limits of detection to detect a wide range of chemical to biological molecules. In this paper, a comprehensive review has been made to cover recent developments in the field of Carbon based nanomaterials as electrochemical biosensors. The characteristic features of a variety of nanomaterials like fullerenes, Carbon nanotubes, Graphene, Carbon quantum dots, Carbon Nanohorns, Carbon Nanodiamonds, Carbon Nanofibres, Carbon black etc. have been discussed along with their synthesis methods. The recent application of all these nanomaterials as electrochemical biosensors for the detection of various biomolecules have been highlighted; the future prospects and possibilities in this field have been outlined.

A Screen-Printed Sensor Coupled with Flow System for Quantitative Determination of a Novel Promising Anticancer Agent Candidate

“…The beginning of their electrochemical applications can be dated to early 2000s [ 11 ]. Until now, CNFs have found numerous applications, which are connected with their attractive properties, especially their large number of edge-plane sites and their high surface active group-to-volume ratio [ 12 , 13 ]. Furthermore, CNFs can be easily functionalized to suit a particular detection mechanism [ 13 ].…”

Recent Development of Aptasensor for Influenza Virus Detection

“…Meanwhile, research into improving the performance of an electrochemical biosensor using nanomaterials is actively being conducted [58][59][60] . The specific surface area was increased by insituating the nanomaterial to the substrate surface.…”

Carbon Nanomaterials as Versatile Platforms for Biosensing Applications

“…In recent years, biosensors have become important to modern life because they enable the diagnosis of diseases and the detection of targeted biological agents in the environment [ 1 ]. Biosensors are analytical devices that are utilized for the detection of a chemical analyte by converting a biochemical/biological reaction into a measurable physicochemical signal [ 2 , 3 ]. Typically, these devices are composed of a bioreceptor (e.g., enzymes, microorganisms, antibodies, DNAs, aptamers, or cells), transducer component (e.g., semiconducting material or nanomaterial), and an electronic system with a signal amplifier, processor, and display [ 2 ].…”

“…Biosensors are analytical devices that are utilized for the detection of a chemical analyte by converting a biochemical/biological reaction into a measurable physicochemical signal [ 2 , 3 ]. Typically, these devices are composed of a bioreceptor (e.g., enzymes, microorganisms, antibodies, DNAs, aptamers, or cells), transducer component (e.g., semiconducting material or nanomaterial), and an electronic system with a signal amplifier, processor, and display [ 2 ]. The bioreceptor specifically recognizes the target analyte, and the transducer converts this response into a different kind of energy that is amplified, processed, and converted into the desired signal format ( Figure 1 ).…”

“…In particular, CNs have been used as (i) a recognition element of the sensor, where they provide binding sites for target biomarkers or molecules capturing target biomarkers, (ii) a transducer component that converts the detected molecular interaction on the electrode surface into a measurable signal, and (iii) a label for target biomarkers in signal amplification ( Figure 1 ). The structures of the CNs that are most widely used in biosensors are carbon nanotubes (CNTs), graphenes (GRs), nanodiamonds (NDs), and fullerenes (FRs) (circular diagram in Figure 1 ) [ 2 ]. In addition, some CNs have been shaped into a bare electrode such as a screen-printed carbon electrode that serves the roles of recognition of target analytes and signal transduction in biosensors [ 5 , 6 ].…”