Carbon-Based Nanocomposites and Printing Technologies for Sensing Approaches

Dear Colleagues,

Recent advances in nanoscience and nanotechnology have brought about nanometer-scale novel devices and materials due to the demand for miniaturized electronic, optical, sensing, and actuating systems and components. Carbon nanomaterials are a key component of nanotechnology. Nanocomposite carbon-paste electrodes (NC-CPEs) made of various dispersing, conducting carbon nanostructures in an insulating polymer have played a leading role in analytical electrochemistry.  Carbon nanohorns, carbon nanotubes, carbon nanofibers, graphene, graphite and related materials are examples of carbon nanoallotropes that can be successfully modified to improve selectivity (nanoparticles, enzymes, antibodies, aptamers or chemical (bio)recognition agents). Thus, they can be integrated as the core of (bio)sensing platforms due to their excellent ability to directly interact with a wide range of analytes, their applicability in aqueous media and their superb electrical conductivity, among other properties. For this reason, many researchers have worked toward the development of novel carbon-based nanocomposite (bio)sensing platforms based on printing technologies.

Printing technologies have created a whole new range of possibilities for the fabrication of (bio)sensing platforms. Inkjet printing technology, for example, can rapidly produce low-cost, highly reproducible, miniaturized electrodes, mainly due to the lack of need for masks, meaning that sensing applications can be designed and tested at a much higher rate. Highly versatile and accessible 3D printing represents another promising technology.  With a wide range of polymeric materials with solvent-resistant, electric conductive, elastic or transparent properties, they play host to newly designed analytical platforms that can integrate all stages of the analytical procedure, from sample pre-treatment to coupling a detector.

This Special Issue of Nanomaterials aims to cover the current trends in the use of carbon-based nanocomposite electronic devices and printing technologies for (bio)sensing approaches, including all nanoallotropic carbon forms and their tuning and (bio)functionalization with nanoparticles, biological elements, active biomolecules or magnetic beads, both inkjet- and 3D-printed.

Dr. Mireia Baeza
Guest Editor

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