Carbon Nanomaterials-Based Novel Hybrid Platforms for Electrochemical Sensor Applications in Drug Analysis

Nowadays, the rapid improvements in the medical and pharmaceutical fields increase the diversity and use of drugs. However, problems such as the use of multiple or combined drugs in the treatment of diseases and insensible use of over-the-counter drugs have caused concerns about the side-effect profiles and therapeutic ranges of drugs and environmental contamination and pollution problems due to pharmaceuticals waste. Therefore, the analysis of drugs in various media such as biological, pharmaceutical, and environmental samples is an important topic of discussion. Electrochemical methods are advantageous for sensor applications due to their easy application, low cost, versatility, high sensitivity, and environmentally-friendliness. Carbon nanomaterials such as diamond-like carbon thin films, carbon nanotubes, carbon nanofibers, graphene oxide, and nanodiamonds are used to enhance the performance of the electrochemical sensors with catalytic effects. To further improve this effect, it is aimed to create hybrid platforms by using different carbon nanomaterials together or with materials such as conductive polymers and ionic liquids. In this review, the most used carbon nanoforms will be evaluated in terms of electrochemical characterizations and physicochemical properties. Furthermore, the effect of hybrid platforms developed in the most recent studies on electrochemical sensors will be examined and evaluated in terms of drug analysis studies in the last five years.