Advances in MXenes-based optical biosensors: A review

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• MXenes are a rapidly emerging class of 2D materials with exceptional optical, electrical, and surface properties.
• Their unique characteristics, including large surface area, hydrophilicity, and conductivity, make them highly suitable for biosensing.
• Recent advancements have focused on leveraging MXenes for various sensing platforms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a comprehensive overview of the optical properties of MXenes.
• To review recent advancements in MXene-based optical biosensing technologies.
• To discuss the future outlook and challenges in this field.

Main Methods:

• Exploration of MXene synthesis and functionalization for optical applications.
• Analysis of diverse optical transduction principles utilized in MXene biosensors.
• Review of recent literature on MXene-based photoluminescence, colorimetric, SPR, SERS, and ECL biosensors.

Main Results:

• MXenes exhibit tunable optical properties, enabling diverse biosensing mechanisms.
• MXene-based biosensors demonstrate high sensitivity and specificity across various applications.
• Versatile MXene architectures (dots, nanosheets, composites) enhance sensing performance.

Conclusions:

• MXenes offer significant potential for developing advanced optical biosensing platforms.
• Further research is needed to overcome challenges related to stability, scalability, and real-world integration.
• MXene-based optical biosensors are poised to revolutionize diagnostics and monitoring.