Antifouling (Bio)materials for Electrochemical (Bio)sensing

Abstract

(Bio)fouling processes arising from nonspecific adsorption of biological materials (mainly proteins but also cells and oligonucleotides), reaction products of neurotransmitters oxidation, and precipitation/polymerization of phenolic compounds, have detrimental effects on reliable electrochemical (bio)sensing of relevant analytes and markers either directly or after prolonged incubation in rich-proteins samples or at extreme pH values. Therefore, the design of antifouling (bio)sensing interfaces capable to minimize these undesired processes is a substantial outstanding challenge in electrochemical biosensing. For this purpose, efficient antifouling strategies involving the use of carbon materials, metallic nanoparticles, catalytic redox couples, nanoporous electrodes, electrochemical activation, and (bio)materials have been proposed so far. In this article, biomaterial-based strategies involving polymers, hydrogels, peptides, and thiolated self-assembled monolayers are reviewed and critically discussed. The reported strategies have been shown to be successful to overcome (bio)fouling in a diverse range of relevant practical applications. We highlight recent examples for the reliable sensing of particularly fouling analytes and direct/continuous operation in complex biofluids or harsh environments. Opportunities, unmet challenges, and future prospects in this field are also pointed out.