Au and Au-Based nanomaterials: Synthesis and recent progress in electrochemical sensor applications

This review summarizes the synthesis of gold (Au) and Au-based nanomaterials and their recent advances of application in electrochemical small-molecule sensors, DNA sensors and immunosensors. Au nanoparticles with various shape and size have been synthesized by using physical, chemical, biological, electrochemical and seeding growth methods. In order to broaden the applications and improve the functionality of Au nanoparticles, numerous Au-based nanocomposite materials have been developed, including bimetallic nanoparticles, metal oxide-gold, polymer-gold, carbon nanotube-gold and graphene/graphene oxide-gold nanocomposites. Finally, the application of Au nanoparticles and Au-based nanocomposite materials in electrochemical sensors and their analytical performance were discussed.