Starch-Based Electrochemical Sensors and Biosensors: A Review

Abstract

Natural green compounds for sensor modification (binders) are challenging in electrochemistry. Starch is a carbohydrate biopolymer that has been used extensively in the development of biomaterials for the food industry due to its ability to impart textural characteristics and provide gelling or film formation. In particular, the excellent film-forming characteristics have been used for the development of new surface modifying architectures for electrodes. Here, we highlight a very comprehensive overview of the properties of interest of various types of starch in conjunction with (bio)materials in the chemical modification of sensors and biosensors. Throughout the review, we first give an introduction to the extraction, applications, and properties of starches followed by an overview of the prospects and their possible applications in electrochemical sensors and biosensors. In this context, we discuss some important characteristics of starches and different strategies of their film formation with an emphasis on their role in the development of electrochemical sensors and biosensors highlighting their main contributions to enhancing the performance of these devices and their applications in environmental and clinical samples. Graphical Abstract

Water Challenges in South Asian Countries: A Focused Review on Emerging Nanomaterials and Technological Processes in Wastewater Treatment

“…To overcome these water challenges, a great deal of research has been conducted by the scientific community working in the field of research and development in the South Asia region. In this context, efforts have been made to trace and rapidly remove such water pollutants using nanotechnology by designing and engineering promising nanomaterials with multifunctional activities for wastewater treatment in cost-effective manners. − The present review deals with multifunctional nanomaterials and their applications in wastewater treatment through different processes such as tracing/sensing and rapid removal of such water pollutants. ,− There is literature on the various multifunctional nanomaterials which have been investigated for wastewater treatment for solving several challenging issues in the South Asian region as discussed above. According to the Web of Science data of last five years (2018–2022), several metal oxide-based semiconductor nanomaterials, i.e., TiO 2 , ZnO, CuO, Cu 2 O, Fe 2 O 3 , SiO 2 , graphene oxide (GO), etc., have been investigated extensively ,,,− for wastewater treatment in this region.…”

“…Figure (a) shows the number of publications related to these nanomaterials for wastewater treatment published by the scientific community in the South Asian region. It indicates that most wastewater treatment studies are focused on TiO 2 -, ZnO-, and GO-based nanomaterials in the last a few years. ,,,,, Due to the variety of pollutants contaminating the freshwater, research has been focused on various technological water treatment processes as mentioned in Figure (b) in South Asian countries. ,,,− …”