Sol–Gel Nanocomposites for Electrochemical Sensor Applications

Abstract

This chapter gives an overview of the use of sol-gel nanocomposites in electrochemical sensors with emphasis on the detection of relevant chemical species. It considers that a sol-gel nanocomposite consists of a distribution of a nanomaterial (typically carbon nanotubes, graphene, metallic or metal oxide nanoparticles, and biomolecules) embedded in an open porous inorganic or hybrid organic-inorganic matrix obtained by sol-gel chemistry (most commonly being carbon, silica, and other simple metal oxides).The chapter presents three different approaches to prepare sol-gel nanocomposites for electrochemical sensing applications, giving specific examples of each of them. Different types of electrochemical transducers that can be prepared using the sol-gel material fabrication processes, together with the electrochemical detection mechanisms applied, are also described. Finally, the chapter gives an overview of the recent literature on sol-gel nanocomposites as electrochemical sensors of different types of analytes.