Unleashing the Biosensing Potential of 2D Inorganic Nanomaterials: the Journey of a Decade

With the growing need for rapid, sensitive and accurate point-of-care biosensors, 2D nanomaterials have gained significant attention, establishing them as versatile candidates for advanced biomedical applications. Biosensors utilizing 2D nanomaterials enable real-time disease monitoring, allowing for prompt intervention and therapy, tracking of physiological activities and enhancing the understanding of the human biosystem. Since they are cost-effective and user-friendly, 2D nanomaterials have been utilized in commercial biosensors. Over the past decade, graphene and its derivatives have been the most studied 2D nanomaterials, due to their large surface area and tuneable electronic and optical properties, which significantly enhance their sensitivity and specificity. Nevertheless, recently discovered 2D nanomaterials, including MXenes, black phosphorus and hexagonal boron nitride, remain largely unexplored. Despite their numerous applications, the broader potential of these materials in biosensing remains insufficiently explored in current literature. This review offers a comprehensive perspective by specifically focusing on inorganic 2D nanomaterials, an area that remains underrepresented in the literature. It provides an in-depth overview of their unique physicochemical properties and how these features contribute toward enhancing the performance of biosensors, thereby offering new and valuable insights into their emerging role in advanced biomedical diagnostics.