Chapter 7 - Graphene–Polymer Modified Electrochemical Sensors

Abstract

There is an increasing focus on developing a highly sensitive and cost effective biosensor that has the potential to be used for mass diagnosis of diseases. Among the common sensing techniques, electrochemical technique has been well received in the clinical field due to its excellent sensitivity, rapid and simple assay procedure, as well as ease of miniaturization. In order to enhance the analytical sensing performance of the biosensor, various materials are merged with electrochemical sensors. Graphene–polymer-based hybrid materials have been of great research interest recently as they show prominent potential as catalyst for modifying the sensor electrode. In this chapter, we will provide a brief introduction to electrochemical sensors and discuss synthetic polymers and natural polymers (or biopolymers); covering their properties that are advantageous to electrochemical sensor applications. The application of graphene–polymer-based hybrid materials for the development of electrochemical sensors that detect various bioanalytes are further discussed, paying special attention to biosensors based on graphene–polypyrrole, graphene–polyaniline, graphene–PEDOT, graphene–Nafion, graphene–chitosan, and graphene–cellulose. Finally, the current challenges of electrochemical sensors using graphene–polymer hybrid materials and future prospects are discussed at the end of this chapter.