Scientists Examined Research on Materials for Biosensors

14:21, May 5, 2021

They reviewed research on electrochemical biosensors

Panagiotis Tsiakaras, professor of Ural Federal University, and his colleagues have reviewed modern electrochemical biosensors for SARS-COV-2 detection, focusing on their classification based on the electrode material used. The review is published in the Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry.

Such biosensors could potentially be more effective ways to detect COVID-19 because they are highly sensitive, more accurate in detecting the virus, and more convenient to use. They could be an addition to the diagnostic tools currently in use.

Currently, two main groups of materials have been studied as electrodes: gold-based and carbon or graphene electrodes. Both materials are faster and more accurate than current detection methods, are characterized by higher sensitivity, while the rate of specificity is comparable with current detection methods. In addition, they can be portable and miniaturized.

Comparing the two groups of materials, Tsiakaras and colleagues concluded that carbon or graphene could compete with gold-based electrodes because they have similar performance characteristics, but would be cheaper to produce.

The use of nanomaterials in electrochemical biosensors could significantly improve their performance. However, their synthesis methods, combination of different nanomaterials, their nanostructural engineering (nanoparticles, nanotubes, etc.), their size and the way they are used in the electrochemical biosensor (tags, reference or auxiliary elements for signal amplification) will significantly affect their performance.

Reference

Panagiotis Tsiakaras is Professor, Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Thessaly University (Volos, Greece), Associate Professor at the Laboratory of Materials and Devices for Clean Energy, UrFU, Head of the Laboratory of electrochemical devices on solid oxide proton electrolytes of the Institute of High-Temperature Electrochemistry, Ural Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences (Ekaterinburg).

Scientific interests: catalytic and electrocatalytic processes; solid-state electrochemistry; electrochemical devices for energy conversion and storage; low, medium and high-temperature fuel cells; direct-acting alcohol fuel cells for electricity generation.

He is co-author of more than 300 scientific papers, books and patents, he has 14 thousand citations, Hirsch index 62 (based on Google Scholar database).