Functional Materials for Biosensing Applications (2nd Edition)

A special issue of Biosensors (ISSN 2079-6374). This special issue belongs to the section "Biosensor Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2026 | Viewed by 1849

Special Issue Editor


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Chemical Engineering, Jeonbuk National University, Jeonju 54896, Republic of Korea
Interests: nanobiosensors
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, the imperative of early disease diagnosis has reached a paramount level of significance. Current methods for measuring disease-related biomarkers primarily fall into two categories: nucleic acid amplification methods, such as PCR, and simpler diagnostic approaches utilizing lateral flow assays (LFAs). Despite their widespread use, these methods exhibit limited sensitivity, thereby complicating early disease treatment. This has led to an escalating demand for multifunctional biosensors that harness various nanomaterials, offering a promising avenue for effective diagnosis of a spectrum of diseases. Consequently, this Special Issue aims to comprehensively explore the fundamentals and applications of biosensors using diverse nanomaterials, providing a nuanced understanding of the evolving landscape of diagnostic innovation in the post-pandemic era. As the world grapples with the challenges posed by emerging diseases, leveraging nanomaterials in biosensor technology becomes pivotal, offering the potential for a paradigm shift in early and accurate disease detection.

Dr. Jin-Ha Choi
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biosensors is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • biosensor
  • early diagnosis
  • nanoparticle
  • nanomaterial
  • functional material
  • graphene
  • mxene
  • organic material
  • inorganic material

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

16 pages, 7964 KB  
Article
Metallic Flexible NiTi Wire Microcrack Transducer for Label-Free Impedimetric Sensing of Escherichia coli
by Gizem Özlü Türk and Mehmet Çağrı Soylu
Biosensors 2026, 16(1), 54; https://doi.org/10.3390/bios16010054 - 10 Jan 2026
Viewed by 1544
Abstract
Flexible biosensors offer rapid and low-cost diagnostics but are often limited by the mechanical and electrochemical instability of polymer-based designs in biological media. Here, we introduce a metallic flexible microcrack transducer that exploits the intrinsic deformability of superelastic nickel–titanium (NiTi) for label-free impedimetric [...] Read more.
Flexible biosensors offer rapid and low-cost diagnostics but are often limited by the mechanical and electrochemical instability of polymer-based designs in biological media. Here, we introduce a metallic flexible microcrack transducer that exploits the intrinsic deformability of superelastic nickel–titanium (NiTi) for label-free impedimetric detection. Mechanical bending of NiTi wires spontaneously generates martensitic-phase microcracks whose metal–gap–metal geometry forms the active transduction sites, where functional interfacial layers and captured analytes modulate the local dielectric environment and govern the impedance response. Our approach imparts a novel dielectric character to the alloy, enabling its unexplored application in the megahertz (MHz) frequency domain (0.01–10 MHz) where native NiTi is merely conductive. Functionalization with Escherichia coli (E. coli)-specific antibodies renders these microdomains biologically active. This effectively transforms the mechanically induced microcracks into tunable impedance elements driven by analyte binding. The γ-bent NiTi sensors achieved stable and quantitative detection of E. coli ATCC 25922 in sterile human urine, with a detection limit of 64 colony forming units (CFU) mL−1 within 45 min, without redox mediators, external labels, or amplification steps. This work pioneers the use of martensitic microcrack networks, mimicking self-healing behavior in a superelastic alloy as functional transduction elements, defining a new class of metallic flexible biosensors that integrate mechanical robustness, analytical reliability, and scalability for point-of-care biosensing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Functional Materials for Biosensing Applications (2nd Edition))
Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Back to TopTop