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Functional Nanomaterials for Sensor Applications

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A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Nanoelectronics, Nanosensors and Devices".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 February 2022) | Viewed by 40937

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Noel Rodriguez

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Department of Electronics and Computer Technology, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
Interests: nanotechnology; sensors; electrical characterization; nanoelectronics; laser-induced nanomaterials; energy harvesting; energy conversion; flexible electronics; memristive devices
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Prof. Dr. Diego P. Morales

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Department of Electronics and Computer Technology, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
Interests: flexible electronics; laser-induced graphene; graphene-oxide; supercapacitors; memristors; sensors
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Dr. Almudena Rivadeneyra

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Pervasive Electronics Advanced Research Laboratory (PEARL), Department of Electronics and Computer Technology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain
Interests: sensors; electrical characterization; nanoelectronics; printed electronics; energy harvesting; energy conversion; flexible electronics; wearable electronics; biomedical sensor applications; RFID technology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Functional nanomaterials are becoming the driving force for advanced research in many fields, including nanosized energy conversion, environmental sustainability, catalysts, electronic devices, pervasive sensors, biomedical engineering, and more. This genuine interest is undoubtedly nourished by their unique structure and properties paired with a massive potential for integration in industrial applications.

The scope of this Issue can be expanded from the synthesis and design of functional nanomaterials to their fabrication, properties, and application in the sensors field. This Special Issue is suited for both academic and industrial contributions focused on functional materials with electrical, thermal, magnetic, chemical, or electrochemical properties allowing the high-performance transduction of specific magnitudes or markers. Different synthesis procedures, characterization techniques, and applications for these functional nanomaterials will be covered, and novel insights can be proposed.

Potential topics include but are not limited to:

Synthesis of functional nanomaterials;
Techniques for the massive and industrialized fabrication of nanomaterials;
Integration of nanomaterials in sensors: novel structures, stacking of layers, flexible layers, etc.
Organic/inorganic functional nanocomposites;
Functionalization of nanomaterials for measuring target magnitudes;
Chemi-resistive and chemi-capacitive functional sensors;
Photocatalysis;
Energy storage/conversion nanomaterials for power-supplying sensor nodes;
Electronic devices including nanomaterial-based sensors;
Demonstrators of potential applications and prototypes of instruments (portable, wearable, or lab instruments) using functional-nanomaterials-based transducers;
Functional nanomaterials for health systems (clinical, ambulatory, etc.);
New characterization techniques for functional nanomaterials;
Theoretical studies and modelling.

It is our pleasure to invite you to submit a manuscript to this Special Issue which provides an excellent opportunity for publishing your latest advances in the relevant research fields. Submissions of communications, full papers, and reviews are all welcomed. We look forward to your contributions and fruitful discussions.

Prof. Dr. Noel Rodriguez
Prof. Dr. Diego P. Morales
Dr. Almudena Rivadeneyra
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nanomaterials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

functional nanomaterials
sensors
electronic devices
energy devices
bioapplications
photocatalysis
thermoelectric effect
piezoresisitve effect
gas sensor
laser-reduced graphene oxide
laser-induced graphene
characterization
nanotechnology
surface modification
porous graphene

Published Papers (12 papers)

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Editorial

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2 pages, 181 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Editorial: Functional Nanomaterials for Sensor Applications

by Noel Rodriguez, Diego P. Morales and Almudena Rivadeneyra

Nanomaterials 2022, 12(21), 3750; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano12213750 - 25 Oct 2022

Viewed by 819

Abstract

Functional nanomaterials have become one of the most fascinating fields in nanotechnology [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Nanomaterials for Sensor Applications)

Research

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18 pages, 4803 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Nickel Oxide-Carbon Soot-Cellulose Acetate Nanocomposite for the Detection of Mesitylene Vapour: Investigating the Sensing Mechanism Using an LCR Meter Coupled to an FTIR Spectrometer

by Lesego Malepe, Patrick Ndungu, Derek Tantoh Ndinteh and Messai Adenew Mamo

Nanomaterials 2022, 12(5), 727; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano12050727 - 22 Feb 2022

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2111

Abstract

Nanocomposite sensors were prepared using carbon soot (CNPs), nickel oxide nanoparticles (NiO-NPs), and cellulose acetate (CA), which was used to detect and study the sensing mechanism of mesitylene vapour at room temperature. Synthesised materials were characterised using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), powder x-ray diffraction (PXRD), Raman spectroscopy, and nitrogen sorption at 77 K. Various sensors were prepared using individual nanomaterials (NiO-NPs, CNPs, and CA), binary combinations of the nanomaterials (CNPs-NiO, CNPs-CA, and NiO-CA), and ternary composites (NiO-CNPs-CA). Among all of the prepared and tested sensors, the ternary nanocomposites (NiO-CNPs-CA) were found to be the most sensitive for the detection of mesitylene, with acceptable response recovery times. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy coupled with an LCR meter revealed that the mesitylene decomposes into carbon dioxide. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Nanomaterials for Sensor Applications)

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18 pages, 2780 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Double-Layer Fatty Acid Nanoparticles as a Multiplatform for Diagnostics and Therapy

by María Salvador, José Luis Marqués-Fernández, José Carlos Martínez-García, Dino Fiorani, Paolo Arosio, Matteo Avolio, Francesca Brero, Florica Balanean, Andrea Guerrini, Claudio Sangregorio, Vlad Socoliuc, Ladislau Vekas, Davide Peddis and Montserrat Rivas

Nanomaterials 2022, 12(2), 205; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano12020205 - 08 Jan 2022

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2220

Abstract

Today, public health is one of the most important challenges in society. Cancer is the leading cause of death, so early diagnosis and localized treatments that minimize side effects are a priority. Magnetic nanoparticles have shown great potential as magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents, detection tags for in vitro biosensing, and mediators of heating in magnetic hyperthermia. One of the critical characteristics of nanoparticles to adjust to the biomedical needs of each application is their polymeric coating. Fatty acid coatings are known to contribute to colloidal stability and good surface crystalline quality. While monolayer coatings make the particles hydrophobic, a fatty acid double-layer renders them hydrophilic, and therefore suitable for use in body fluids. In addition, they provide the particles with functional chemical groups that allow their bioconjugation. This work analyzes three types of self-assembled bilayer fatty acid coatings of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles: oleic, lauric, and myristic acids. We characterize the particles magnetically and structurally and study their potential for resonance imaging, magnetic hyperthermia, and labeling for biosensing in lateral flow immunoassays. We found that the myristic acid sample reported a large

r_{2}

relaxivity, superior to existing iron-based commercial agents. For magnetic hyperthermia, a significant specific absorption rate value was obtained for the oleic sample. Finally, the lauric acid sample showed promising results for nanolabeling. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Nanomaterials for Sensor Applications)

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11 pages, 4240 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Optical Microfiber All-Optical Phase Modulator for Fiber Optic Hydrophone

by Minwei Li, Yang Yu, Yang Lu, Xiaoyang Hu, Yaorong Wang, Shangpeng Qin, Junyang Lu, Junbo Yang and Zhenrong Zhang

Nanomaterials 2021, 11(9), 2215; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano11092215 - 28 Aug 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2241

Abstract

In order to meet the needs of phase generated carrier (PGC) demodulation technology for interferometric fiber optic hydrophones, we proposed an optical microfiber all-optical phase modulator (OMAOPM) based on the photo-induced thermal phase shift effect, which can be used as a phase carrier generation component, so as to make the modulation efficiency and working bandwidth of this type of modulator satisfy the requirements of underwater acoustic signal demodulation applications. We analyzed the modulation principle of this modulator and optimized the structural parameters of the optical microfiber (OM) when the waist length and waist diameter of OM are 15 mm and 1.4 μm, respectively. The modulation amplitude of the modulator can reach 1 rad, which can meet the requirements of sensing applications. On this basis, the fiber optical hydrophone PGC-Atan demodulation system was constructed, and the simulated underwater acoustic signal test demodulation research was carried out. Experimental results showed that the system can demodulate underwater acoustic signals below 1 kHz. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Nanomaterials for Sensor Applications)

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18 pages, 4576 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Optimizing the Efficiency of a Cytocompatible Carbon-Dots-Based FRET Platform and Its Application as a Riboflavin Sensor in Beverages

by Roberto Sotolongo-García, Eustolia Rodríguez-Velázquez, Manuel Alatorre-Meda, Mercedes T. Oropeza-Guzmán, Antonio Tirado-Guízar and Georgina Pina-Luis

Nanomaterials 2021, 11(8), 1981; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano11081981 - 31 Jul 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2119

Abstract

In this work, the Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) between carbon dots (CDs) as energy donors and riboflavin (RF) as an energy acceptor was optimized and the main parameters that characterize the FRET process were determined. The results were successfully applied in the development of an ultrasensitive ratiometric fluorescent sensor for the selective and sensitive determination of RF in different beverages. Water-soluble CDs with a high quantum yield (54%) were synthesized by a facile and direct microwave-assisted technique. The CDs were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), dynamic light scattering (DLS), Zeta potential, and UV-visible and molecular fluorescence spectroscopy. The study of the FRET process at two donor concentrations showed that the energy transfer efficiency decreases as the donor concentration increases, confirming its dependence on the acceptor:donor ratio in nanoparticle-based systems. The results show the importance of optimizing the FRET process conditions to improve the corresponding output signal. The variation in the ratiometric signal with the concentration of RF showed linearity in a concentration range of 0 to 11 µM with R² = 0.9973 and a detection limit of 0.025 µM. The developed nanosensor showed good selectivity over other possible types of interference. The sensor was then applied for the determination of RF in beverage samples using the standard addition method with recoveries between 96% and 106%. Preliminary cytocompatibility tests carried out with breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-231) revealed the nanosensor to be cytocompatible in its working concentration regime, even after long incubation times with cells. Altogether, the developed RF determination method was found to be fast, low-cost, highly sensitive, and selective and can be extended to other samples of interest in the biological and food sectors. Moreover, thanks to its long-lasting cytocompatibility, the developed platform can also be envisaged for other applications of biological interest, such as intracellular sensing and staining for live cell microscopy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Nanomaterials for Sensor Applications)

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14 pages, 2143 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Encapsulation Capacity of β-Cyclodextrin Stabilized Silver Nanoparticles towards Creatinine Enhances the Colorimetric Sensing of Hydrogen Peroxide in Urine

by Abdelaziz Elgamouz, Chahlaa Nassab, Alaa Bihi, Somaya A. I. Mohamad, Aisha H. S. A. Almusafri, Salman S. Alharthi, Sarah A. E. Abdulla and Shashikant P. Patole

Nanomaterials 2021, 11(8), 1897; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano11081897 - 24 Jul 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2786

Abstract

The β-cyclodextrin shell of synthesized silver nanoparticles (βCD-AgNPs) are found to enhance the detection of hydrogen peroxide in urine when compared to the Horse Radish Peroxidase assay kit. Nanoparticles are confirmed by the UV-Vis absorbance of their localized surface plasmonic resonance (LSPR) at 384 nm. The mean size of the βCD-AgNPs is 53 nm/diameter; XRD analysis shows a face-centered cubic structure. The crystalline structure of type 4H hexagonal nature of the AgNPs with 2.4 nm β-CD coating onto is confirmed using aberration corrected high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). A silver atomic lattice at 2.50 Å and 2.41 Å corresponding to (100) and (101) Miller indices is confirmed using the HRTEM. The scope of βCD-AgNPs to detect hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) in aqueous media and human urine is investigated. The test is optimized by examining the effect of volumes of nanoparticles, the pH of the medium, and the kinetic and temperature effect on H₂O₂ detection. The βCD-AgNPs test is used as a refined protocol, which demonstrated improved sensitivity towards H₂O₂ in urine compared to the values obtained by the Horse Radish Assay kit. Direct assessment of H₂O₂ by the βCD-AgNPs test presented always with a linear response in the nM, μM, and mM ranges with a limit of detection of 1.47 nM and a quantitation limit of 3.76 nM. While a linear response obtained from 1.3 to 37.3 nmoles of H₂O₂/mole creatinine with a slope of 0.0075 and regression coefficient of 0.9955 when the βCD-AgNPs is used as refined test of creatinine. Values ranging from 34.62 ± 0.23 nmoles of H₂O₂/mole of creatinine and 54.61 ± 1.04 nmoles of H₂O₂/mole of creatinine when the matrix is not diluted and between 32.16 ± 0.42 nmoles of H₂O₂/mole of creatinine and 49.66 ± 0.80 nmoles of H₂O₂/mole of creatinine when the matrix is twice diluted are found in freshly voided urine of seven apparent healthy men aged between 20 and 40 years old. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Nanomaterials for Sensor Applications)

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10 pages, 2615 KiB

Open AccessArticle

High Sensitivity Humidity Detection Based on Functional GO/MWCNTs Hybrid Nano-Materials Coated Titled Fiber Bragg Grating

by Fang Wang, Bowen Wang, Xuhui Zhang, Mengdi Lu, Yang Zhang, Changsen Sun and Wei Peng

Nanomaterials 2021, 11(5), 1134; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano11051134 - 27 Apr 2021

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2279

Abstract

A high performance humidity sensor using tilted fiber Bragg grating (TFBG) and functional graphene oxide (GO)/multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) hybrid nano-materials was proposed. The humidity-sensitive material with three-dimensional (3D) structure was synthesized by the MWCNTs and GOs. Comparing with traditional two dimensional (2D) GOs film, water molecules could be absorbed effectively due to the larger ripples and more holes in GO/MWCNTs layers. The water molecule will fill the entire space in the 3D structure instead of air, which further enhances the absorption efficiency of the hybrid nanomaterial. TFBG as a compact and robust surrounding complex dielectric constant sensing platform was utilized. The mode coupling coefficient or the amplitude of TFBG cladding mode will vary sharply with the imaginary part of permittivity of the hybrid nanomaterial, realizing the high performance RH sensing. In the experiments, we successfully demonstrated that this 3D structural nanomaterial composed by the MWCNTs and GOs has significant advantages for expanding the range of humidity detection (range from 30% to 90%) and enhancing the detection sensitivity (0.377 dB/% RH is twice more than humidity sensor with 2D GO film). The TFBG-based RH sensor also exhibits good repeatability and stability. Our proposed humidity sensor has potential application in environmental and healthy monitoring fields. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Nanomaterials for Sensor Applications)

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10 pages, 6068 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Carbon Dots as Sensing Layer for Printed Humidity and Temperature Sensors

by Almudena Rivadeneyra, José F. Salmeron, Fabio Murru, Alejandro Lapresta-Fernández, Noel Rodríguez, Luis Fermín Capitan-Vallvey, Diego P. Morales and Alfonso Salinas-Castillo

Nanomaterials 2020, 10(12), 2446; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano10122446 - 07 Dec 2020

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2830

Abstract

This work presents an innovative application of carbon dots (Cdots) nanoparticles as sensing layer for relative humidity detection. The developed sensor is based on interdigitated capacitive electrodes screen printed on a flexible transparent polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film. Cdots are deposited on top of these electrodes. An exhaustive characterization of the nanoparticles has been conducted along with the fabrication of the sensor structure. The accompanied experiments give all the sensibility to the Cdots, showing its dependence with temperature and exciting frequency. To the best of our knowledge, this work paves the path to the use of these kind of nanoparticles in printed flexible capacitive sensors aimed to be employed in the continuously expanding Internet of Things ecosystem. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Nanomaterials for Sensor Applications)

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11 pages, 3067 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Printed and Flexible Microheaters Based on Carbon Nanotubes

by Aniello Falco, Francisco J. Romero, Florin C. Loghin, Alina Lyuleeva, Markus Becherer, Paolo Lugli, Diego P. Morales, Noel Rodriguez, Jose F. Salmerón and Almudena Rivadeneyra

Nanomaterials 2020, 10(9), 1879; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano10091879 - 19 Sep 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3369

Abstract

This work demonstrates a cost-effective manufacturing method of flexible and fully printed microheaters, using carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as the heating element. Two different structures with different number of CNT layers have been characterized in detail. The benchmarking has been carried out in terms of maximum operating temperature, as well as nominal resistance and input power for different applied voltages. Their performances have been compared with previous reports for similar devices, fabricated with other technologies. The results have shown that the heaters presented can achieve high temperatures in a small area at lower voltages and lower input power. In particular, the fully printed heaters fabricated on a flexible substrate covering an area of 3.2 mm² and operating at 9.5 V exhibit a maximum temperature point above 70 °C with a power consumption below 200 mW. Therefore, we have demonstrated that this technology paves the way for a cost-effective large-scale fabrication of flexible microheaters aimed to be integrated in flexible sensors. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Nanomaterials for Sensor Applications)

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18 pages, 2886 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Flexible Screen Printed Aptasensor for Rapid Detection of Furaneol: A Comparison of CNTs and AgNPs Effect on Aptasensor Performance

by Ali Douaki, Biresaw Demelash Abera, Giuseppe Cantarella, Bajramshahe Shkodra, Asma Mushtaq, Pietro Ibba, AKM Sarwar Inam, Luisa Petti and Paolo Lugli

Nanomaterials 2020, 10(6), 1167; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano10061167 - 15 Jun 2020

Cited by 23 | Viewed by 3828

Abstract

Furaneol is a widely used flavoring agent, which can be naturally found in different products, such as strawberries or thermally processed foods. This is why it is extremely important to detect furaneol in the food industry using ultra-sensitive, stable, and selective sensors. In this context, electrochemical biosensors are particularly attractive as they provide a cheap and reliable alternative measurement device. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been extensively investigated as suitable materials to effectively increase the sensitivity of the biosensors. However, a comparison of the performance of biosensors employing CNTs and AgNPs is still missing. Herein, the effect of CNTs and AgNPs on the biosensor performance has been thoughtfully analyzed. Therefore, disposable flexible and screen printed electrochemical aptasensor modified with CNTs (CNT-ME), or AgNPs (AgNP-ME) have been developed. Under optimized conditions, CNT-MEs showed better performance compared to AgNP-ME, yielding a linear range of detection over a dynamic concentration range of 1 fM–35 μM and 2 pM–200 nM, respectively, as well as high selectivity towards furaneol. Finally, our aptasensor was tested in a real sample (strawberry) and validated with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), showing that it could find an application in the food industry. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Nanomaterials for Sensor Applications)

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Review

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29 pages, 13852 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperReview

Recent Advances in Wearable Optical Sensor Automation Powered by Battery versus Skin-like Battery-Free Devices for Personal Healthcare—A Review

by Nikolay L. Kazanskiy, Muhammad A. Butt and Svetlana N. Khonina

Nanomaterials 2022, 12(3), 334; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano12030334 - 21 Jan 2022

Cited by 42 | Viewed by 7290

Abstract

Currently, old-style personal Medicare techniques rely mostly on traditional methods, such as cumbersome tools and complicated processes, which can be time consuming and inconvenient in some circumstances. Furthermore, such old methods need the use of heavy equipment, blood draws, and traditional bench-top testing procedures. Invasive ways of acquiring test samples can potentially cause patient discomfort and anguish. Wearable sensors, on the other hand, may be attached to numerous body areas to capture diverse biochemical and physiological characteristics as a developing analytical tool. Physical, chemical, and biological data transferred via the skin are used to monitor health in various circumstances. Wearable sensors can assess the aberrant conditions of the physical or chemical components of the human body in real time, exposing the body state in time, thanks to unintrusive sampling and high accuracy. Most commercially available wearable gadgets are mechanically hard components attached to bands and worn on the wrist, with form factors ultimately constrained by the size and weight of the batteries required for the power supply. Basic physiological signals comprise a lot of health-related data. The estimation of critical physiological characteristics, such as pulse inconstancy or variability using photoplethysmography (PPG) and oxygen saturation in arterial blood using pulse oximetry, is possible by utilizing an analysis of the pulsatile component of the bloodstream. Wearable gadgets with “skin-like” qualities are a new type of automation that is only starting to make its way out of research labs and into pre-commercial prototypes. Flexible skin-like sensing devices have accomplished several functionalities previously inaccessible for typical sensing devices due to their deformability, lightness, portability, and flexibility. In this paper, we studied the recent advancement in battery-powered wearable sensors established on optical phenomena and skin-like battery-free sensors, which brings a breakthrough in wearable sensing automation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Nanomaterials for Sensor Applications)

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62 pages, 11396 KiB

Open AccessReview

Electrochemical Sensors Based on Conducting Polymers for the Aqueous Detection of Biologically Relevant Molecules

by Álvaro Terán-Alcocer, Francisco Bravo-Plascencia, Carlos Cevallos-Morillo and Alex Palma-Cando

Nanomaterials 2021, 11(1), 252; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano11010252 - 19 Jan 2021

Cited by 50 | Viewed by 6741

Abstract

Electrochemical sensors appear as low-cost, rapid, easy to use, and in situ devices for determination of diverse analytes in a liquid solution. In that context, conducting polymers are much-explored sensor building materials because of their semiconductivity, structural versatility, multiple synthetic pathways, and stability in environmental conditions. In this state-of-the-art review, synthetic processes, morphological characterization, and nanostructure formation are analyzed for relevant literature about electrochemical sensors based on conducting polymers for the determination of molecules that (i) have a fundamental role in the human body function regulation, and (ii) are considered as water emergent pollutants. Special focus is put on the different types of micro- and nanostructures generated for the polymer itself or the combination with different materials in a composite, and how the rough morphology of the conducting polymers based electrochemical sensors affect their limit of detection. Polypyrroles, polyanilines, and polythiophenes appear as the most recurrent conducting polymers for the construction of electrochemical sensors. These conducting polymers are usually built starting from bifunctional precursor monomers resulting in linear and branched polymer structures; however, opportunities for sensitivity enhancement in electrochemical sensors have been recently reported by using conjugated microporous polymers synthesized from multifunctional monomers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Nanomaterials for Sensor Applications)

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