Biosensors Based on Nanomaterials: Transducers and Modified Surfaces for Diagnostics

Abstract

The use of nanoparticles has opened a new era in the development of nanobiosensors capable of achieving analytical responses that compete with the most powerful instrumental techniques. Nanobiosensors are devices that allow analytical determinations through a specific action event between an analyte ofinterest and a bio-recognition molecule. These recognition molecules as enzymes,antibodies, nucleic acids, and aptamers are studied in detail in this chapter. The role of nanomaterials in biosensors is described in a separate section since they play a central role, allowing the understanding of their physicochemical properties such as quantum confinement, surface plasmon resonance, magnetic properties, and the effect of area increase. In addition, a brief review is provided about some basic concepts for the integration of the sensor components and their function in sensing systems found in the literature. Subsequently, a classification is proposed to summarize its fundamental characteristics, mechanism of operation, analytical characteristics, advantages, and disadvantages. Then, the main nanobiosensor types found in the literature are detailed, and specific explanations are given, e.g., those based on the determination of electrical, piezoelectric, colorimetric, fluorescent, and chemiluminescent properties. Likewise, the functioning of recently developed nanobiosensors is discussed, such as those based on local (SERS). Also, the applications of nanobiosensors in different fields of biomedicine and their fundamental importance to advance in the diagnosis of multiple pathologies as cancer are detailed. Finally, we discuss the state of the art and the future perspectives of scientific development.