David Hynek

Nanoscale virus biosensors: state of the art

License. The full terms of the License are available at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. Permissions beyond the scope of the License are administered by Dove Medical Press Limited. Information on how to request permission may be found at: http://www.dovepress.com/permissions.php Nanobiosensors in Disease Diagnosis 2015:4 47–66 Nanobiosensors in Disease Diagnosis Dovepress

Monitoring of the Surface Modification of Nanoparticlesby Electrochemical Measurements Using Scanning Electrochemical Microscope

The first papers related to the scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) were published in the nineties of the 20th century [1, 2]. This technique is based on the scanning of the studied surface by ultramicroelectrode (UME) and electrochemical analysis of surface [1]. Such technique gives us an electrochemical picture of the surface. SECM employs an UME probe (tip) to induce chemical changes and collect electrochemical information while approaching or scanning the surface of interest (substrate). The substrate may also be biased and serves as the second working electrode. Many different types of UMEs have been fabricated, e.g., microband electrodes, cylindrical electrodes, microrings, disk-shaped, and hemispherical electrodes [3]. The disk geometry of the UME is the most preferred design from many reasons discussed below. UME is the most important part of the electrochemical microscope, which determines the results of scanning. Electrodes in micro or nano dimensions offer important advantages for electroanalytical applications including greatly diminished ohmic potential drop in solution and double-layer charging current, the ability to reach a steady state in seconds or milliseconds, and a small size allowing make experiments in microscopic dimensions [4].