Nanomaterial-based functional scaffolds for amperometric sensing of bioanalytes

Functional nanomaterials have emerged as promising candidates in the development of an amperometric sensing platform for the detection and quantification of bioanalytes. The remarkable characteristics of nanomaterials based on metal and metal oxide nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes, and graphene ensure enhanced performance of the sensors in terms of sensitivity, selectivity, detection limit, response time, and multiplexing capability. The electrocatalytic properties of these functional materials can be combined with the biocatalytic activity of redox enzymes to develop integrated biosensing platforms. Highly sensitive and stable miniaturized amperometric sensors have been developed by integrating the nanomaterials and biocatalyst with the transducers. This review provides an update on recent progress in the development of amperometric sensors/biosensors using functional nanomaterials for the sensing of clinically important metabolites such as glucose, cholesterol, lactate, and glutamate, immunosensing of cancer biomarkers, and genosensing.     

Progress on sensors based on nanomaterials for rapid detection of heavy metal ions

The heavy metal ions,especially Cd~(2+),Pb~(2+) and Hg~(2+),show extremely hazard to the environment and human being.The measurement of heavy metal ions using sensors is catching more and more attention for its advantages of high sensitivity and selectivity,low-cost,convenience to handle and rapid detection.In recent years,nanomaterials such as gold nanoparticles(NPs),magnetic nanoparticles,graphene and nanocomposite materials are applied in sensors for improving sensitivity and selectivity,making the research on electrochemical(EC) sensors,spectrometric biosensors and colorimetric biosensors become a hot spot in the application to investigate heavy metal ions,in particular,Cd~(2+),Pb~(2+) and Hg~(2+).In this short review,the research of advanced detection of Cd~(2+),Pb~(2+) and Hg~(2+) and its progress based on nanomaterial sensors in recent years is reviewed.     

Selective Electrochemical Detection of Explosives with Nanomaterial Based Electrodes

Explosive detection technologies play a critical role in maintaining national security, remain an active research field with many devices and analytical/electroanalytical techniques. Analytical chemistry needs for homeland defense against terrorism make it clear that real-time and on-site detection of explosives and chemical warfare agents (CWAs) are in urgent demand. Thus, current detection techniques for explosives have to be improved in terms of sensitivity and selectivity, opening the way to electrochemical devices suitable to obtain the targeted analytical information in a simpler, cheaper and faster way. For the electrochemical determination of energetic substances, a large number of sensor electrodes have been presented in literature using different modification materials, especially displaying higher selectivity with molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs). MIPs have already been utilized for the detection of hazardous materials due to their mechanical strength, flexibility, long-time storage and low cost. The sensitivity of MIP-based electrosensors can be enhanced by coupling with nanomaterials such as graphene oxide (GOx), carbon nanotubes (CNTs), or nanoparticles (NPs). Specific characteristics of involved nanomaterials, their modification, detection mechanism, and other analytical aspects are discussed in detail. Non-MIP electrosensors are generally functionalized with materials capable of charge transfer, H-bonding or electrostatic interactions with analytes for pre-concentration and electrocatalysis on their surface, whereas nanobio-electrosensors use analyte-selective aptamers having specific sequences of DNA, peptides or proteins to change the potential or current. This review intends to provide a combination of information related to MIPs and nanomaterial-based electrochemical sensors, limited to the most significant and illustrative work recently published.     

Smart nano-architectures as potential sensing tools for detecting heavy metal ions in aqueous matrices

The discharge of heavy metal ions into water resources as a result of human activities has become a global issue. Contamination with heavy metal ions poses a major threat to the environment and human health. Therefore, there is a dire need to probe the presence of heavy metal ions in a more selective, facile, quick, cost-effective and sensitive way. Conventional sensors are being utilized to sense heavy metal ions; however, various challenges and limitations like interference, overlapping of oxidation potential, selectivity and sensitivity are associated with them that limit their in-field applicability. Hence, nanomaterial based chemical sensors have emerged as an alternative substitute and are extensively employed for the detection of heavy metal ions as a potent analytical tool. The incorporation of nanomaterials in sensors increases their sensitivity, selectivity, portability, on-site detection capability and device performance. Nanomaterial based electrodes exhibit enhanced performance because surface of electrode at nano-scale level offers high catalytic potential, large active surface area and high conductivity. Therefore, this review addresses the recent progress on chemical sensors based on different nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes (CNTs), metal nanoparticles, graphene, carbon quantum dots and nanocomposites for sensing heavy metals ions using different sensing approaches. Furthermore, various types of optical sensors such as fluorescence, luminescence and colorimetry sensors have been presented in detail.     

Recent Advances in Electrochemical Sensors Based on Molecularly Imprinted Polymers and Nanomaterials

This review focuses on the recent achievement during period of 2013–2018 related to the electrochemical sensors based on molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) combined with nanomaterials for various kinds of applications. MIPs based electrochemical sensors have found a great interest due to their high stability, short time required for electropolymerization, and high specificity towards the target analyte. The sensitivity is considered as one of the important parameter in electrochemical sensing strategies that should be improved by the combination of highly conductive nanomaterials with selective MIPs. In general, the most employed nanomaterials are magnetic nanoparticles, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), carbon nanotubes and graphene. This review discusses the main current achievement as well as the current challenges regarding the development of biomimetic sensors in electroanalysis.     

Recent advances in analytical chemistry--a material approach

Advancements of materials research have profound direct impacts on developments in analytical chemistry and may hold the key to improvement of existing or new techniques at present times and near future. Applications of materials in analytical chemistry are reviewed, with focus on sensors, separations and extraction techniques. This review aims to survey examples of interesting works carried out in the last five years over a broad spectrum of materials classified as hybrids, nanomaterials and biomolecular materials.     

Enhanced Electrocatalytic Detection of Choline Based on CNTs and Metal Oxide Nanomaterials

Choline is an officially established essential nutrient and precursor of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. It is employed as a cholinergic activity marker in the early diagnosis of brain disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Low levels of choline in diets and biological fluids, such as blood plasma, urine, cerebrospinal and amniotic fluid, could be an indication of neurological disorder, fatty liver disease, neural tube defects and hemorrhagic kidney necrosis. Meanwhile, it is known that choline metabolism involves oxidation, which frees its methyl groups for entrance into single-C metabolism occurring in three phases: choline oxidase, betaine synthesis and transfer of methyl groups to homocysteine. Electrocatalytic detection of choline is of physiological and pathological significance because choline is involved in the physiological processes in the mammalian central and peripheral nervous systems and thus requires a more reliable assay for its determination in biological, food and pharmaceutical samples. Despite the use of several methods for choline determination, the superior sensitivity, high selectivity and fast analysis response time of bioanalytical-based sensors invariably have a comparative advantage over conventional analytical techniques. This review focuses on the electrocatalytic activity of nanomaterials, specifically carbon nanotubes (CNTs), CNT nanocomposites and metal/metal oxide-modified electrodes, towards choline detection using electrochemical sensors (enzyme and non-enzyme based), and various electrochemical techniques. From the survey, the electrochemical performance of the choline sensors investigated, in terms of sensitivity, selectivity and stability, is ascribed to the presence of these nanomaterials.     

Recent advances in electrochemical sensors for antibiotics and their applications

The abuse of antibiotics will cause an increase of drug-resistant strains and environmental pollution,which in turn will affect human health.Therefore,it is important to develop effective detection techniques to determine the level of antibiotics contamination in various fields.Compared with traditional detection methods,electrochemical sensors have received extensive attention due to their advantages such as high sensitivity,low detection limit,and good selectivity.In this mini review,we summarized the latest developments and new trends in electrochemical sensors for antibiotics.Here,modification methods and materials of electrode are discussed.We also pay more attention to the practical applications of antibiotics electrochemical sensors in different fields.In addition,the existing problems and the future challenges ahead have been proposed.We hope that this review can provide new ideas for the development of electrochemical sensors for antibiotics in the future.     

Zinc Oxide-Based Acetone Gas Sensors for Breath Analysis: A Review

Acetone is one of the toxic, explosive, and harmful gases. It may cause several health hazard issues such as narcosis and headache. Acetone is also regarded as a key biomarker to diagnose several diseases as well as monitor the disorders in human health. Based on clinical findings, acetone concentration in human breath is correlated with many diseases such as asthma, halitosis, lung cancer, and diabetes. Thus, its investigation can become a new approach for health monitoring. Better management at the early stages of such diseases has the potential not only to reduce deaths associated with the disease but also to reduce medical costs. ZnO−based sensors show great potential for acetone gas due to their high chemical stability, simple synthesis process, and low cost. The findings suggested that the acetone sensing performance of such sensors can be significantly improved by manipulating the microstructure (surface area, porosity, etc.), composition, and morphology of ZnO nanomaterials. This article provides a comprehensive review of the state-of-the-art research activities, published during the last five years (2016 to 2020), related to acetone gas sensing using nanostructured ZnO (nanowires, nanoparticles, nanorods, thin films, etc). It focuses on different types of nanostructured ZnO-based acetone gas sensors. Furthermore, several factors such as relative humidity, acetone concentrations, and operating temperature that affects the acetone gas sensing properties- sensitivity, long-term stability, selectivity as well as response and recovery time are discussed in this review. We hope that this work will inspire the development of high-performance acetone gas sensors using nanostructured materials.     

Electrochemical biosensors based on Ti3C2Tx MXene: future perspectives for on-site analysis

MXenes are recently developed two-dimensional layered materials composed of early transition metal carbides and/or nitrides that provide unique characteristics for biosensor applications. This review presents the recent progress made on the usage and applications of MXenes in the field of electrochemical biosensors, including microfluidic biosensors and wearable microfluidic biosensors, and highlights the challenges with possible solutions and future needs. The multilayered configuration and high conductivity make these materials as an immobilization matrix for the biomolecule immobilization with activity retention and to be explored in the fabrication of electrochemical sensors, respectively. First, how the MXene nanocomposite as an electrode modifier affects the sensing performance of the electrochemical biosensors based on enzymes, aptamer/DNA, and immunoassays is well described. Second, recent developments in MXene nanocomposites as wearable biosensing platforms for the biomolecule detection are highlighted. This review pointed out the future concerns and directions for the use of MXene nanocomposites to fabricate advanced electrochemical biosensors with high sensitivity and selectivity. Specifically, possibilities for developing microfluidic electrochemical sensors and wearable electrochemical microfluidic sensors with integrated biomolecule detection are emphasized.     

非酶葡萄糖传感器电极材料构建策略

电化学传感器因具有灵敏度高、检测限低等优点而得到广泛应用,将非酶电化学传感器应用于葡萄糖浓度的检测具备重要的研究价值。以金属有机骨架、碳材料和导电聚合物为基底与金属及其衍生物复合,构建的纳米复合材料修饰电极对于葡萄糖的检测具有极高的灵敏度、较低的检测限和快速响应的能力,可应用于实际样品的检测。本文综述了近年来非酶葡萄糖电化学传感器的研究进展,通过对纳米复合材料的性能比较,为非酶葡萄糖传感器的构建提供思路。     

酶放大DNA电化学传感器的研究进展

DNA电化学传感器灵敏度高、选择性好、分析时间短和检测成本低,极大地推动了生物传感器的发展. 结合蛋白质酶、功能核酸酶的催化效率高与特异性好,可提高检测灵敏度和选择性. 本文评述了酶放大DNA电化学传感器的研究进展,并分析现存问题,展望发展趋势.     

Recent Advances in Nanomaterial Probes for Optical Biothiol Sensing: A Review

The determination of biological aminothiols (mainly cysteine, homocysteine, and glutathione) is an important tool in the clinical diagnosis of many disorders and diseases. Therefore, the development of new chemical sensors and probes has attracted considerable attention. Nanomaterials have a profound role in this endeavor since they offer some unique advantages such as lower cost, faster analysis times, and ease of operation compared to classic instrumental techniques such as liquid chromatography and capillary electrophoresis. In this review, we provide a focused outline on the most recent evolvements in optical biothiol sensing using nanomaterials. The most important reaction mechanisms and detection strategies are summarized and compared in terms of their sensitivity and selectivity against various biothiol species. Critical fields for future research and challenges are discussed and elucidated.     

碳点的功能化及其在食品安全领域的应用

作为新型的传感材料,碳点在过去10年中受到了广泛的关注。由于制备方法相对单一,未经功能化碳点的表面有效传感作用位点的种类受到了限制（多为羧基、羟基、醛基等含氧官能团）,导致其选择性和灵敏度不佳。因此,功能化在开发碳点传感器中扮演了重要的角色。碳点的功能化主要分为两大类：掺杂改性及表面修饰。掺杂改性是在碳点的骨架结构中引入新的元素,一方面能够实现碳点的光学改性,另一方面也可以在其表面形成新的作用位点用于传感。表面修饰是在碳点表面原有结构的基础上,通过共价或非共价的形式与其他功能结构相结合,从而拓展碳点的选择性并提升其灵敏度。本文对近8年来碳点功能化及其在食品安全检测领域应用的相关研究进展进行了系统性的梳理,为开发基于功能化碳点的食品快检设备提供一些新的思路。     

Recent progress in nitrates and nitrites sensor with graphene-based nanocomposites as electrocatalysts

Nutrients based on nitrogen elements such as nitrite and nitrate have long been served as food preservatives in the food industry, as fertilizer in agriculture, and as color formers and rust inhibitors in the chemical industry. Due to the extensive nitrite and nitrate usage, the leakage or pollution discharge resulted in a large amount wasted in water sources and soil. As they are highly toxic inorganic pollutant, excess consumption and nitrite exposure can trigger several diseases and damage human health. As a consequence, an urgent need to develop a particular device for detecting and monitoring the presence of nitrite, specifically to measure drinking water quality and control remediation procedures. Owing to the merits of graphene, including broad theoretical surface area, high conductivity at room temperature, and a wider electrochemical window, graphene now serves as an excellent host material for anchoring nanomaterials to enhance the performance of electrochemical applications. There has been rapid progress in developing nitrite and nitrate sensors based on an electrochemical approach with the assistance of graphene-based nanocomposite material as the electrocatalysts. The electrically conductive graphene has high surface areas that allow the deposition of high-density analyte molecules, facilitating better selectivity and high sensitivity compared to other materials. The present review provides an overview on the recent development of electrochemical sensors for detecting nitrates and nitrites using graphene-based nanocomposites as electrocatalysts based on selective reports.     

Role of carbon nanotubes in electroanalytical chemistry: a review

This review covers recent advances in the development of new designs of electrochemical sensors and biosensors that make use of electrode surfaces modification with carbon nanotubes. Applications based on carbon nanotubes-driven electrocatalytic effects, and the construction and analytical usefulness of new hybrid materials with polymers or other nanomaterials will be treated. Moreover, electrochemical detection using carbon nanotubes-modified electrodes as detecting systems in separation techniques such as high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) or capillary electrophoresis (CE) will be also considered. Finally, the preparation of electrochemical biosensors, including enzyme electrodes, immunosensors and DNA biosensors, in which carbon nanotubes play a significant role in their sensing performance will be separately considered.     

Gas sensors based on nanostructured materials

Gas detection is important for controlling industrial and vehicle emissions, household security and environmental monitoring. In recent decades many devices have been developed for detecting CO(2), CO, SO(2), O(2), O(3), H(2), Ar, N(2), NH(3), H(2)O and several organic vapours. However, the low selectivity or the high operation temperatures required when most gas sensors are used have prompted the study of new materials and the new properties that come about from using traditional materials in a nanostructured mode. In this paper, we have reviewed the main research studies that have been made of gas sensors that use nanomaterials. The main quality characteristics of these new sensing devices have enabled us to make a critical review of the possible advantages and drawbacks of these nanostructured material-based sensors.     

π-Conjugated Copper Phthalocyanine Nanoparticles as Highly Sensitive Sensor for Colorimetric Detection of Biomarkers

Though numerous nanomaterials with enzyme-like activities have been utilized as probes and sensors for detecting biological molecules, it is still challenging to construct highly sensitive detectors for biomarkers using polymeric materials. Benefiting from the π-d delocalization effect of electrons, excellent metal-chelating property, high electron transferability, and good chemical stability of π-conjugated phthalocyanine, the design of the copper phthalocyanine-based conjugated polymer nanoparticles (Cu-PcCP NPs) as a colorimetric sensor for a variety of biomarkers is reported. The Cu-PcCP NPs are synthesized through a simple microwave-assisted polymerization, and their chemical structures are thoroughly characterized. The colorimetric results of Cu-PcCP NPs demonstrate excellent peroxidase-like detecting activity and also great substrate selectivity than most of the reported Cu-based nanomaterials. The Cu-PcCP NPs can achieve a detection limit of 4.88 μM for the H₂O₂, 4.27 μM for the L-cysteine, and 21.10 μM for the glucose via a cascade catalytic system, which shows comparable detecting sensitivity as that of many earlier reported enzyme-like nanomaterials. Moreover, Cu-PcCP NPs present remarkable resistance to harsh conditions, including high temperature, low pH, and excessive salts. These highly specific π-conjugated copper-phthalocyanine nanoparticles not only overcome the current limitation of polymeric material-based sensors but also provide a new direction for designing next-generation enzyme-like nanomaterial-based colorimetric biosensors.     

Ordered porous metal oxide semiconductors for gas sensing

This review gives a comprehensive summary about the porous metal oxides with focus on the synthesis methods, structure related properties, as well as the modification strategies for gas sensing improved performances.