Urea biosensors based in zeolites and chalcogenide-oxide semiconductor thin films as active materials: A review

Diagnosis of renal failure by measuring urea levels has been a topic of intense study in recent years. A major focus has been on improving the sensitivity, linearity, precision, accuracy, and selectivity of biosensors for measuring urea. Although various materials have been used in the fabrication of urea biosensors, ceramics, and chalcogenides have been less explored in this field. Recently, the use of ceramics such as zeolite has been investigated to improve enzyme immobilization methods in urea biosensors and their application in ion-selective membranes, to increase the specificity of the devices. While oxides have been widely used as transducers in urea biosensors, chalcogenide semiconductor materials from Group VI of the periodic table also show promising properties, such as chemical stability, to signal transduction capability, and improved electrical measurements. This review provides a comprehensive overview of recent research in urea biosensors, with a special emphasis on the use of ceramics for enzyme immobilization and chalcogenides as transducers and how these materials contribute to improving the performance of these devices.