Chapter 2 - Nanomaterial based electrochemical biosensing: Progress and perspectives

Abstract

Nanomaterials are key to the improvisation of electrochemical sensors and immunosensors. The use of nanomaterials has given rise to novel, highly sensitive assays and improvised nanomaterials incorporated electrochemical/biosensing instruments. The unique properties of nanomaterials are dependent on their size. This can be tuned according to the specific requirement after adjusting the size, shape, and degree of agglomeration. The nanomaterials and functionalized nanomaterials can be used as catalysts; a substrate for immobilization; optical or electroactive labels with sensitive, selective, and stable performance. Nanomaterial-based immunosensors lead to enormous signal enhancement due to the formation of nanomaterial-antibody-antigen complex. This forms the basis of ultrasensitive detection of clinically significant protein biomarkers related to disease, pathogens, and bio-threat agents. The emergence of electrochemical markers from novel nanomaterials will continue to improve the design of immunosensor. However, to attain its wider applicability in diverse setups, desired targets to achieve are its easy fabrication, incorporation into different sensing platforms, high level of sensitivity and specificity, lower detection limit, and simultaneous detection of multiple targets. Different nanomaterials and nanohybrids are well posited to play a crucial role in the future development of electrochemical sensors for advanced point of care (POC) applications. This chapter critically analyzes the development of nanomaterials and nanomaterial-based electrochemical sensors over the period of the last 20years and also addresses the limitations and challenges in achieving the full potential of nanomaterials for the need-based biosensing applications.