Biosensors based on immobilization of biomolecules by electrogenerated polymer films

The concept and potentialities of electrochemical procedures of biomolecule immobilization are described. The entrapment of biomolecules within electropolymerized films consists of the application of an appropriate potential to an electrode soaked in an aqueous solution containing monomer and biomolecules. This method of biosensor construction is compared with a two-step procedure based on the adsorption of an aqueous amphiphilic pyrrole monomer-biomolecule mixture on an electrode followed by the electropolymerization of the adsorbed monomers. Another approach is based on the electrogeneration of polymer films functionalized by specific groups allowing subsequently the attachment of biomolecules. The immobilization of biomolecules on these films by covalent binding or noncovalent interactions is described.