Nano-sized biosensors for medical applications

Nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes, graphene, metal nanoparticles, and hybrid carbon/metal nanoparticle structures display remarkable properties. In particular, the chemical, electrical, and electrochemical properties of these nanomaterials have significantly improved biosensor performance. Perhaps the greatest advances in nano-sized biosensors have been achieved in electrochemical biosensing. Nanomaterials incorporated into electrochemical biosensors have greatly enhanced their sensitivity, linear sensing range, and detection limit. Diverse 'top-down' and 'bottom-up' fabrication techniques have been utilized to incorporate nanomaterials into biosensor construction. Herein, we present the latest advances in the field of nano-sized biosensors, explore their remarkable properties, present their distinct fabrication protocols, and discuss their performance.