Biopolymers in Biosensors

The advanced research in the development of economically feasible biosensors to detect biomolecules is crucial for this era. The advantages of biopolymers such as biodegradability, biocompatibility, inexpensive, and easy availability make it a promising area in the field of biosensing. The incorporation of biopolymers with other polymers and metal nanocomposites enhances the sensitivity towards the detection of an analyte. Biopolymers like chitin, chitosan, cellulose, lignin, alginate, starch, gelatin, pectin, etc., and their composites are reported for biosensing application. These biopolymers are used for both optical and electrochemical sensing applications of glucose, urea, uric acids, DNA, H2O2, etc. The immobilization of corresponding enzymes like glucose oxidases triggers the sensing mechanism. The strong cross-linking between such enzyme and biopolymer enhances the sensitivity, selectivity, and stability of the corresponding sensor. The development of metal nanocomposites with such polymers helps non-enzymatic detection of such analytes. Moreover, the introduction of biopolymers can assist the evolution of single use solid state sensors.