Nanostructured Platforms Based on Conducting Polymers for Sensing

Abstract

Conducting polymers (CPs) are remarkable materials which gained many applications, standing out in sensor fabrication due to their remarkable sensing capacity. Nanotechnology contributed largely to develop the application of CPs in sensing, mainly due to the huge increase of the contact area between sensing platform and analyte, enhancing detection, shortening the recovery time, and allowing the miniaturization of devices. This chapter gives a brief introduction of the basic characteristics of CPs and covers the main synthetic methods for obtaining CPs nanostructures, highlighting the main techniques associated with their use in sensors and biosensors. Further on, this chapter covers the application of CP sensing devices in environmental and clinical samples, and their use in industrial processes. Regarding environmental samples, CP sensors have shown promising results for detection of inorganic ions, organic molecules, and gases, mainly through construction of electrochemical sensors. In clinical analysis CPs showed good results for shaping biosensors, using CPs nanostructures as anchors for biocatalytic recognition elements, with a good orientation and organization of the active sites, improving analyte recognition. In industry, online data monitoring of processes requires fast and precise multisensing platforms, such as electronic noses, where CPs showed great results for gas and flavor sensing.