Customized Bio-functionalization of Nanocomposite Carbon Paste Electrodes for Electrochemical Sensing: A Mini Review

© 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim Over the past few decades, the (bio)functionalization of carbon nanomaterials (CNMs), such as nanohorns, carbon nanotubes, graphene, graphite and related with a wide range of (bio)modifiers have been extensively studied for their incorporation on different pure metal or carbon electrode surfaces via drop-casting. However, CNMs are also shown to be important functional additives for polymers, having great potential to produce rigid nanocomposite materials with a range of enhanced properties, including mechanical, optical, electrical, thermal and electrochemical. The high malleability derived from the host polymer allows alternative strategies that can be carried out in order to incorporate different types of (bio)modifiers in/on/into a polymeric nanocomposite electrode. Accordingly, this mini review overviews the main methodologies used for the bio-functionalization of electrochemical transducers based on nanocomposite carbon paste electrodes (NC-CPEs). Additionally, the most extensively (bio)modifiers used in electrochemical (bio)sensing, together with their various electrocatalytical performance are also discussed, fact that might serve as a general outlook for planning further research.