Nanostructured-based electrochemical biosensors for environmental and food contaminants.
The project will improve the understanding of biosensors mode of action, in particular of bio/bio and bio/non -bio interface mechanisms at the nanoscale level to provide solutions for the development of new generation biosensors enabling a more sensitive and accurate monitoring of the presence of quality markers and pollutants in environmental and food matrices. Such improvements will be provided by the coordinated development of a number of novel nanotechnology-based biosensors targeted to the detection of selected analytes that are important markers of environmental and food quality, and consequently pose a threat to the life of humans, animals and plants. Research activities will be oriented at the development of (i) new sensing surfaces thus maximizing and/or facilitating contact with the sample, (ii) new procedures to activate the non-bio surface and to immobilize the bioactive molecules to the surface of the sensor and (iii) new biomolecules to be used as receptors. The main results obtained will provide a significant improvement of the know-how about the development of nanotechnology-based biosensors for environmental and food analysis.