ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Application of nanomaterials in microbial-cell biosensor constructions

Jana Šefčovičová and Jan Tkac

Institute of Chemistry, Centre for Glycomics, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Dúbravská cesta 9, 845 38 Bratislava, Slovakia

E-mail: Jan.Tkac@savba.sk

Abstract: Microbial cell biosensors, where cells are in direct connection with a transducer enabling quantitative and qualitative detection of an analyte, are very promising analytical tools applied mainly for assays in the environmental field, food industry or biomedicine. Microbial cell biosensors are an excellent alternative to conventional analytical methods due to their specificity, rapid detection and low cost of analysis. Nowadays, nanomaterials are often used in the construction of biosensors to improve their sensitivity and stability. In this review, the combination of microbial and other individual cells with different nanomaterials (carbon nanotubes, graphene, gold nanoparticles, etc.) for the construction of biosensors is described and their applications are provided as well.

Keywords: microbial cells – biosensor – carbon nanotubes – gold nanoparticles – graphene – magnetic nanoparticles

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.2478/s11696-014-0602-2

Chemical Papers 69 (1) 42–53 (2015)