A Review on Biosensors and Recent Development of Nanostructured Materials-Enabled Biosensors

Abstract

A biosensor is an integrated receptor-transducer device that converts a biological response into an electrical signal. The design and development of biosensors have gained significant attention from researchers and scientists in recent decades due to their wide range of applications, including healthcare, disease diagnosis, environmental monitoring, water and food quality assessment, and drug delivery. Sensing technology utilizing nanomaterials, ranging from zero- to three-dimensional structures, offers advantages such as a high surface-to-volume ratio, excellent conductivity, shock-bearing capabilities, and color tenability. Nanomaterials (NMs) employed in the fabrication of Nano biosensors include nanoparticles (NPs), known for high stability and carrier capacity; nanowires (NWs) and Nano rods (NRs), capable of high detection sensitivity; carbon nanotubes (CNTs), offering large surface areas and high electrical and thermal conductivity; and quantum dots (QDs), providing color tenability. Furthermore, these nanomaterials can function as transduction elements. This review summarizes the evolution of biosensors, their classification based on receptors and transducers, and modern approaches utilizing nanomaterials such as noble metal and metal oxide NPs, NWs, NRs, CNTs, QDs, and dendrimers. Recent advancements in bio sensing technology facilitated by the expansion of nanotechnology are also discussed.