Emerging Materials and Platforms for Biosensor Applications

Abstract

Different materials are used for fabrication of biosensors based on their applications and other considerations as sample type and cost, among others. Biosensors can be miniaturized since microscale devices offer several advantages in comparison to traditional protocols and assays that involve relatively large samples and more, usually expensive materials for construction, that later must be disposed. Microfluidic is the science that is behind the design and construction of miniaturized devices composed by chambers and channels through which fluids flow. In this sense, microfluidic devices and biosensors can be coupled in order to replace most of the laboratory assays and bioassays since they bring together several advantages such as reduced reagent consumption, favorable reaction kinetics and the possibility to be rapidly prototyped and automatized. Regarding to microfluidic devices, several materials and fabrication techniques, as well as new designs (geometries and scales) are being studied. Although, microfluidic devices used for biosensing applications require further development of new components to be coupled into microscale systems to increase the functionality. Some of the emerging materials and platforms that are proposed for biosensor design are hydrogels and porous anodic alumina (PAA). In this chapter we focus to compile emerging materials tendencies for their use as platforms in microfluidic biosensing applications. Here we will describe advantages and concerns of using these materials, as well as detection methods and applications of them as biosensing platforms. In this section we do not pretend to review all the bibliography related to hydrogel or PAA based biosensors, since we prefer to make emphasis on some lately important achievements. We further provide our perspectives to the reader about prospects and challenges in the field.