Metal Oxides-Based Semiconductors for Biosensors Applications

Abstract

The present mini review contains a concessive overview on the recent achievement regarding the implementation of a metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) in biosensors used in biological and environmental systems. The paper explores the pathway of enhancing the sensing characteristics of metal oxides by optimizing various parameters such as synthesis methods, morphology, composition, and structure. Four representative metal oxides (TiO 2 , ZnO, SnO 2 , and WO 3 ) are presented based on several aspects: synthesis method, morphology, functionalizing molecules, detection target, and limit of detection (LOD).

Metal-Oxide Based Nanomaterials: Synthesis, Characterization and Their Applications in Electrical and Electrochemical Sensors

“…Nowadays, electrochemical sensors composed by MOX have received growing interest for the successful detection of electroactive biomolecules in many fields including medicine, environmental processes, energy efficient systems, food safety, chemical and agricultural industries. The demand for such metal oxide based biosensors continues to increase due to their ability in performing rapid measurements and analyses with flexible and reliable characteristics [ 12 ]. In fact, electrochemical sensors are able to convert, in a direct and fast way, biological events to an electronic signal with great stability.…”

“…The doping of nanowires, nanotubes, core-shell nanostructures and nanofibers is paving the way for newer and better gas sensor materials [ 10 , 11 ]. More recently, MOX have been receiving great attention mainly in the field of biosensors due to their high potential and versality to become very competitive materials for modifying the morphology, chemical stability and physicochemical interfacial properties of conventional sensing materials [ 12 ]. In fact, MOX can be assembled to form tandem heterostructures [ 13 ], hybrid structures [ 14 ] or composite structures [ 15 ] with advanced electrochemical properties which can be adapted for a specific biosensor application.…”

Non-Carbon 2D Materials-Based Field-Effect Transistor Biosensors: Recent Advances, Challenges, and Future Perspectives

“…Due to their specific structures and electrical characteristics, metal oxides have been considered as candidates to extend the library of 2D materials for transistors with a large band gap energy range (2.3–4.9 eV) and high electron mobilities (>10 cm 2 V −1 s −1 ) which guarantee high sensitivity and signal-to-noise ratio in biosensing. Moreover, FETs of these materials can be processed at moderate temperatures from solutions facilitating deposition on a large scale economically and the conductivity tuned by varying crystal size, morphology, dopant, contact geometry and temperature of operation [ 46 , 102 , 103 ]. Metal oxides, to date, have been applied as electrochemical and photoelectrochemical transducers for bio/chemical sensing [ 30 , 103 , 104 , 105 , 106 ] and FET transducer for sensing of gases [ 107 , 108 ].…”

“…Moreover, FETs of these materials can be processed at moderate temperatures from solutions facilitating deposition on a large scale economically and the conductivity tuned by varying crystal size, morphology, dopant, contact geometry and temperature of operation [ 46 , 102 , 103 ]. Metal oxides, to date, have been applied as electrochemical and photoelectrochemical transducers for bio/chemical sensing [ 30 , 103 , 104 , 105 , 106 ] and FET transducer for sensing of gases [ 107 , 108 ]. As mentioned previously, FET gas sensors of metal oxides typically operate at high temperatures, leading to higher energy needs and reliability and safety issues.…”

The Influence of Photoactive Heterostructures on the Photocatalytic Removal of Dyes and Pharmaceutical Active Compounds: A Mini-Review

“…Most of the dyes are considered harmful due to the high toxicity and carcinogenicity induced by their nonbiodegradable aromatic structure [ 6 , 7 , 8 ]. Pharmaceutically active compounds (PhACs), such as tetracycline (TC), ciprofloxacin (CIP), triclosan (TCS), carbamazepine (CBZ), salicylic acid (SA), ibuprofen (IBS) and sulfamethazine (SMZ), etc., are helpful to cure human diseases but the pollution from metabolized or partially metabolized pharmaceutical wastes is already recognized as a hazard [ 9 , 10 , 11 ].…”