Nanotechnology for biosensor applications

Nanotechnology is a promising technology for sensor applications in various ways. The sensor needs to have characteristics of high selectivity, and stability with practical significance. Various types of sensors can be produced including biosensors. These biosensors are based on enzyme, tissue, immuno-sensors, DNA, thermal, piezoelectric, and radiofrequency for various applications such as health care industries, food and drink industries, environment protection, and genome analysis. Basically, the biosensors are composed of the analyte, bioreceptor, transducer, and signal amplifier. The sensing medium can be constructed or designed using mechanical devices, optical and radio frequency devices (resonators), nanowires, nanotubes, nanofibers, etc. by which the analytes can be sensed, and eventually, the sensed small signal is amplified by an amplifier so that we can visualize the results. The basic characteristics of the biosensor are linearity, sensitivity, selectivity, and response time. The fabrication of those biosensors can be performed by using various integrated circuit technologies such as Carbon Nanotubes-Field-Effect Transistor (CNT-FET), Fin Field-Effect Transistor (FinFET), Nano Complementary Metal–Oxide–Semiconductor (nano-CMOS), etc. in nanoscales. Besides, nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes, gold nanoparticles, quantum dots, etc. have potential materials and need further research and development for biosensor applications. Therefore, the impact of nanotechnology on biosensors is widely recognized in various fields.