Sol–gel materials for electrochemical biosensors Original Research Article

An overview is presented of the state-of-the art of electrochemical biosensors employing sol–gel materials. Low-temperature, porous sol–gel ceramics represent a relatively new class of materials for the immobilization of biomolecules. The rational design of sol–gel sensing materials, based on the judicious choice of the starting alkoxide, encapsulated reagents, and preparation conditions, allows tailoring of material properties in a wide range, and offers great promise for the development of electrochemical biosensors. The various advantages of biogels for amperometric biosensing are discussed, along with common designs of sol–gel-derived bioelectrodes, recent advances and trends, and future prospects.