Chapter 5: Carbon Nanomaterials in Electrochemical Detection

High surface-to-volume ratio, high conductivity and electrocatalytic properties are some of the most interesting characteristics of carbon nanomaterials. Such exceptional properties have found a strong application in the field of electrochemical sensing. In this chapter we present the great relevance of the introduction of carbon nanomaterials, such as carbon nanotubes and graphene, for the development of new electrochemical sensors and biosensors. The possibility to exploit carbon nanomaterials for direct electrochemical sensing is illustrated. Furthermore, the easy modification of carbon materials with biomolecules enables the development of sophisticated and ultra-sensitive electrochemical sensors and biosensors for a plethora of important analytes and biomolecules, from DNA to cancer biomarkers. The possibility of coupling nanocarbon-based electrochemical sensors as detectors in separation techniques is briefly introduced. The most typical applications are described.