3D hydrogel scaffold doped with 2D graphene materials for biosensors and bioelectronics

Hydrogels consisting of three-dimensional (3D) polymeric networks have found a wide range of applications in biotechnology due to their large water capacity, high biocompatibility, and facile functional versatility. The hydrogels with stimulus-responsive swelling properties have been particularly instrumental to realizing signal transduction in biosensors and bioelectronics. Graphenes are two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials with unprecedented physical, optical, and electronic properties and have also found many applications in biosensors and bioelectronics. These two classes of materials present complementary strengths and limitations which, when effectively coupled, can result in significant synergism in their electrical, mechanical, and biocompatible properties. This report reviews recent advances made with hydrogel and graphene materials for the development of high-performance bioelectronics devices. The report focuses on the interesting intersection of these materials wherein 2D graphenes are hybridized with 3D hydrogels to develop the next generation biosensors and bioelectronics. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.