Preparation of Hydrogels for Biosensing Applications

Hidrogeli so zamreženi hidrofilni materiali v tridimenzionalni obliki, ki imajo sposobnost, da vase zajamejo veliko količino vode in pri tem nabreknejo. Posledica visoke vsebnosti vode je fleksibilnost in podobnost naravnemu tkivu. Odlikujeta jih tudi biokompatibilnost in biorazgradljivost, kar jih naredi odlične za biomedicinske aplikacije kot so biosenzorji. Poznani so sintetični in naravni hidrogeli, kar se nanaša na izvor makromolekule iz katere je narejen. Stopnja ter vrsta zamreženosti in kemijske ter fizikalne lastnosti glavne komponente določajo do kolikšne mere bo hidrogel nabrekel ter kako se bo odzival v prisotnosti zunanjih dražljajev. Biosenzorji so sestavljeni iz bioreceptorja, pretvornika, ojačevalnika, procesorja in prikaznega vmesnika. Glede na pretvornik se jih deli na potenciometrične, amperometrične, impedimetrične, konduktometrične in voltametrične. Hidrogel se je mogoče v biosenzor implementirati na več načinov. Služi lahko kot imobilizacijsko ogrodje za biosondo, odzivni material, funkcionalni material ali pa se ga uporabi v napravah za nošenje. Uporaba hidrogela biosenzorju prinese več prednosti kot so povečanje kapacitete za imobilizacijo biosonde, preprečevanje nespecifičnih interakcij, zmanjševanje signala ozadja in zagotavljanje biokompatibilnosti. Iz teh razlogov raziskovalci pripravi hidrogelov za uporabo v biosenzoriki namenjajo precej pozornosti.Hydrogels are 3D cross-linked hydrophilic materials that can absorb large quantities of water and swell. The high water content results in flexibility and resemblance to natural tissue. They are also biocompatible and biodegradable, making them excellent for biomedical applications such as biosensors. Depending on the origin of the main macromolecular component they can be divided into natural or synthetic hydrogels. The degree and type of crosslinking and the chemical and physical properties of the main component determine to what extent the hydrogel will swell and how it will respond to the presence of external stimuli. Biosensors consist of a bioreceptor, a converter, an amplifier, a processor, and a display. Depending on the converter, they are divided into potentiometric, amperometric, impedimetric, conductometric, and voltammetric. The hydrogel can be implemented in the biosensor in several ways. It can serve as an immobilization matrix for the bioprobe, a response material, a functional material or be used in wearable devices. The use of hydrogel brings several advantages to the biosensor, such as increasing the immobilization capacity of the bioprobe, preventing non-specific interactions, reducing the background signal, and ensuring biocompatibility. For these reasons, the preparation of hydrogels for biosensing applications has received considerable attention from researchers