POLYMER NANOCOMPOSITES FOR BIOSENSING APPLICATIONS: RECENT ADVANCES, CHALLENGES, AND FUTURE PERSPECTIVES

Abstract

Polymer nanocomposites (PNCs) have emerged as a transformative class of materials in biosensing because they combine the flexibility, biocompatibility, and processability of polymers with the exceptional electrical, optical, catalytic, and surface properties of nanomaterials. The integration of nanofillers such as graphene, graphene oxide, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), metal nanoparticles, quantum dots, MXenes, and conductive polymers into polymer matrices has led to highly sensitive, selective, and rapid biosensors capable of detecting biomolecules, pathogens, metabolites, nucleic acids, and disease biomarkers. Recent advances from 2024–2026 have focused on wearable biosensors, flexible electronics, health monitoring devices, electrochemical biosensors, and artificial intelligence-assisted sensing platforms. Polymer nanocomposites now play a central role in personalized medicine, point-of-care diagnostics, environmental monitoring, and healthcare monitoring. This review summarizes the current status of polymer nanocomposite biosensors, their properties, fabrication techniques, sensing mechanisms, biomedical applications, challenges, and future prospects.