Principles and applications of electrochemical and optical biosensors

The principles of biocatalytic and bioaffinity biosensors are reviewed with emphasis on electron transfer-type enzyme sensors, optical enzyme sensors and optical immunosensors for homogeneous immunoassay. An enzyme sensor for ethanol was fabricated by electrochemical polymerization of pyrrole onto the surface of platinized platinum-adsorbed alcohol dehydrogenase—NAD—Meldola Blue. Ethanol was determined amperometrically by measuring the oxidative current through polypyrrole. An optical enzyme sensor is exemplified by an acethylcholine sensor based on an optical pH fibre sensor using a thin polyaniline film. The optical immunosensor for homogeneous immunoassay consists of an optical fibre, the end of the which is coated with an optically transparent platinum electrode. With using luminol as a label, highly sensitive homogeneous immunoassay is carried out by measuring the electrochemical luminescence of the label.