Chemical Sensors and Biosensors

This is a modern introductory book on sensors, combining underlying theory with bang up to date topics such as nanotechnology. The text is suitable for graduate students and research scientists with little background in analytical chemistry. It is user-friendly, with an accessible theoretical approach of the basic principles, and references for further reading. The book covers up-to-date advances in the sensor field, e.g. nanotechnology and quantum dots. It includes calculation exercises and solutions, and the accompanying website contains Powerpoint slides.

1 What are Chemical Sensors? 1

2 Protein Structure and Properties 21

3 Enzymes and Enzymatic Sensors 28

4 Mathematical Modeling of Enzymatic Sensors 50

5 Materials and Methods in Chemical-Sensor Manufacturing 66

6 Affinity-Based Recognition 101

7 Nucleic Acids in Chemical Sensors 118

8 Nanomaterial Applications in Chemical Sensors 135

9 Thermochemical Sensors 157

10 Potentiometric Sensors 165

11 Chemical Sensors Based on Semiconductor Electronic Devices 217

12 Resistive Gas Sensors (Chemiresistors) 246

13 Dynamic Electrochemistry Transduction Methods 258

14 Amperometric Enzyme Sensors 314

15 Mathematical Modeling of Mediated Amperometric Enzyme Sensors 332

16 Electrochemical Affinity and Nucleic Acid Sensors 347

17 Electrical-Impedance-Based Sensors 367

18 Optical Sensors – Fundamentals 404

19 Optical Sensors – Applications 435

20 Nanomaterial Applications in Optical Transduction 454

21 Acoustic-Wave Sensors 473

22 Microcantilever Sensors 507

23 Chemical Sensors Based on Microorganisms, Living Cells and Tissues 518

“Summary In conclusion it can be stated that this book is very suitable for students and a sound didactic means of learning the basics of chemo and biosensors . . . The organization of the content and the quantity of material presented are highly suitable for undergraduate and graduate students and for newcomers to this field; it can, therefore, be recommended for those wishing to gain both a first insight into, and a comprehensive overview of, this still growing topic.” (Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, 1 March 2013)

Dr Florinel-Gabriel BANICA is Associate Professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Dept of Chemistry. Prior to this he was at the Technical University of Bucharest, Romania. Florin’s research is focused on bioelectrochemistry, and functionalized materials for chemical sensor applications. He teaches undergraduate courses on analytical chemistry, instrumental analysis, electroanalytical chemistry and physical chemistry, and graduate courses on atomic spectrometry and chemical sensors and biosensors (on which this book is based).

Key features include:

• Self-assessment questions and exercises
• Chapters start with essential principles, then go on to address more advanced topics
• More than 1300 references to direct the reader to key literature and further reading
• Highly illustrated with 450 figures, including chemical structures and reactions, functioning principles, constructive details and response characteristics

Chemical sensors are self-contained analytical devices that provide real-time information on chemical composition. A chemical sensor integrates two distinct functions: recognition and transduction. Such devices are widely used for a variety of applications, including clinical analysis, environment monitoring and monitoring of industrial processes. This text provides an up-to-date survey of chemical sensor science and technology, with a good balance between classical aspects and contemporary trends. Topics covered include:

• Structure and properties of recognition materials and reagents, including synthetic, biological and biomimetic materials, microorganisms and whole-cells
• Physicochemical basis of various transduction methods (electrical, thermal, electrochemical, optical, mechanical and acoustic wave-based)
• Auxiliary materials used e.g. synthetic and natural polymers, inorganic materials, semiconductors, carbon and metallic materials
• properties and applications of advanced materials (particularly nanomaterials) in the production of chemical sensors and biosensors
• Advanced manufacturing methods
• Sensors obtained by combining particular transduction and recognition methods
• Mathematical modeling of chemical sensor processes

Suitable as a textbook for graduate and final year undergraduate students, and also for researchers in chemistry, biology, physics, physiology, pharmacology and electronic engineering, this book is valuable to anyone interested in the field of chemical sensors and biosensors.