Biofunctionalization of Nanomaterials

Abstract

AbstractThe unique properties of nanoscale materials (1–200 nm) offer excellent platforms for electronic or optical signal transduction and the design of a new generation of bioelectronic and biosensing devices. However, the drawbacks of nanoparticles (NPs) in biocompatibility and biological recognition ability limit their application in analytical chemistry. The biofunctionalization of nanomaterials can endow them with good biocompatibility for the immobilization of biomolecules, tissue, or cells and high specificity for biological recognition [1–6], which led to stable biosensing systems with good selectivity and reproducibility. Particularly, the biofunctional NPs can produce a synergic effect among catalytic activity, conductivity, and biocompatibility to accelerate signal transduction and achieve a rapid response to target with a very high sensitivity by signal amplification. The need for ultrasensitive bioassays and the trend toward miniaturized assays have made the biofunctionalization of nanomaterials one of the hottest fields. Therefore, seeking suitable methods for the functionalization of nanomaterials with biomolecules such as protein, DNA, small organic molecules, polymer films, and even entire living cells has attracted considerable attention.KeywordsFluorescence Resonance Energy TransferPrussian BlueCyanate EsterElectrochemical ImmunosensorNanosilica ParticleThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.