Carbon nanotube based biosensors

Carbon nanotube (CNT) based biosensors are recognized to be a next generation building block for ultra-sensitive and ultra-fast biosensing systems. This article provides an overview on the recent expansion of research in the field of CNT-based biosensors. We start by first introducing the material structures and properties of CNTs. The basic and some new developed synthetic methods of CNTs are presented. This is followed by a collection of working principle and performance of different CNT-based biosensors. The roles and the processing methods of functionalized CNTs are summarized. After that, some of the practical applications and concerns in the field are addressed. What is more, the scientific and technological challenges in the field are discussed at the end of this review. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.