Department of Systems Design Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
Biosens Bioelectron. 2011 Jan 15;26(5):1825-32. doi: 10.1016/j.bios.2010.09.046. Epub 2010 Oct 1.
A class of organic polymers, known as conducting polymers (CPs), has become increasingly popular due to its unique electrical and optical properties. Material characteristics of CPs are similar to those of some metals and inorganic semiconductors, while retaining polymer properties such as flexibility, and ease of processing and synthesis, generally associated with conventional polymers. Owing to these characteristics, research efforts in CPs have gained significant traction to produce several types of CPs since its discovery four decades ago. CPs are often categorised into different types based on the type of electric charges (e.g., delocalized pi electrons, ions, or conductive nanomaterials) responsible for conduction. Several CPs are known to interact with biological samples while maintaining good biocompatibility and hence, they qualify as interesting candidates for use in a numerous biological and medical applications. In this paper, we focus on CP-based sensor elements and the state-of-art of CP-based sensing devices that have potential applications as tools in clinical diagnosis and surgical interventions. Representative applications of CP-based sensors (electrochemical biosensor, tactile sensing 'skins', and thermal sensors) are briefly discussed. Finally, some of the key issues related to CP-based sensors are highlighted.
由于其独特的电学和光学性质，一类有机聚合物，即导电聚合物（CPs），变得越来越受欢迎。CPs 的材料特性与一些金属和无机半导体相似，同时保留了聚合物的特性，如柔韧性、易于加工和合成，这些特性通常与传统聚合物相关。由于这些特性，自四十年前发现以来，CPs 的研究工作已经取得了重大进展，以生产出多种类型的 CPs。CPs 通常根据负责传导的电荷类型（例如，离域 pi 电子、离子或导电纳米材料）进行分类。已知有几种 CPs 与生物样本相互作用，同时保持良好的生物相容性，因此它们是许多生物和医学应用中有趣的候选材料。在本文中，我们专注于基于 CP 的传感器元件和基于 CP 的传感设备的最新进展，这些设备有望作为临床诊断和手术干预的工具。简要讨论了基于 CP 的传感器的代表性应用（电化学生物传感器、触觉感应“皮肤”和热传感器）。最后，强调了与基于 CP 的传感器相关的一些关键问题。
