In this review we present polymeric materials for (bio)sensor technology development. We focused on conductive polymers (conjugated microporous polymer, polymer gels), composites, molecularly imprinted polymers and their influence on the design and fabrication of bio(sensors), which in the future could act as lab-on-a-chip (LOC) devices. LOC instruments enable us to perform a wide range of analysis away from the stationary laboratory. Characterized polymeric species represent promising candidates in biosensor or sensor technology for LOC development, not only for manufacturing these devices, but also as a surface for biologically active materials’ immobilization. The presence of biological compounds can improve the sensitivity and selectivity of analytical tools, which in the case of medical diagnostics is extremely important. The described materials are biocompatible, cost-effective, flexible and are an excellent platform for the anchoring of specific compounds.

A convenient electrochemical sensing pathway for 17b-estradiol detection was investigated. The system is based on a conducting polymer and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) modified platinum (Pt) electrode. The miniature estradiol biosensor was developed and constructed through the immobilization of HRP in an electroactive surface of the electrode covered with electroconducting polymerpoly(4,7-bis(5-(3,4ethylenedioxythiophene)thiophen-2-yl)benzothiadiazole). The detection strategy is based on the fact that 17b-estradiol (E2) and pyrocatechol (H 2 Q) are co-substrates for the HRP enzyme. HRP, which does not react with E2, in the presence of H 2 O 2 catalyses the oxidation of H 2 Q to o-benzoquinone (Q). With the optimized conditions, such constructed biosensing system demonstrated a convenient level of sensitivity, selectivity in a broad linear range -0.1 to 200 mM with a detection limit of 105 nM. Furthermore, the method was successfully applied for hormone detection in the presence of potential interfering compounds (ascorbic acid, estriol, estrone, uric acid and cholesterol). Fig. 2 Schematic representation of the 17b-estradiol enzyme-based biosensor.9080 | RSC Adv., 2020, 10, 9079-9087This journal is

Over the past two decades, both fundamental and applied research in conducting polymers have grown rapidly. Conducting polymers (CPs) are unique due to their ease of synthesis, environmental stability, and simple doping/dedoping chemistry. Electrically conductive silicone polymers are the current state-of-the-art for, e.g., optoelectronic materials. The combination of inorganic elements and organic polymers leads to a highly electrically conductive composite with improved thermal stability. Silicone-based materials have a set of extremely interesting properties, i.e., very low surface energy, excellent gas and moisture permeability, good heat stability, low-temperature flexibility, and biocompatibility. The most effective parameters constructing the physical properties of CPs are conjugation length, degree of crystallinity, and intra- and inter-chain interactions. Conducting polymers, owing to their ease of synthesis, remarkable environmental stability, and high conductivity in the doped form, have remained thoroughly studied due to their varied applications in fields like biological activity, drug release systems, rechargeable batteries, and sensors. For this reason, this review provides an overview of organosilicon polymers that have been reported over the past two decades.