17.6 Conclusion and Future Perspectives............................................................................285

Acknowledgments......................................................................................................................286

References ....................................................................................................................................286

17.1 Introduction

Since its first discovery, nanomaterials have been broadly used in scientific fields with huge

attention. For example, nanomaterials are utilized as the template for efficient drug de­

livery, an electrode component of the battery, and enhanced stem cell differentiation [1].

Particularly, at the nanometer scale, nanomaterials sometimes have properties that were

not present in the bulk state; thus, nanomaterials are being used in fields where the

properties generated in the nanoscale are advantageous. For instance, the metal enhanced

fluorescence (MEF), in which the strong fluorescent emission can be achieved by control of

the distance between the fluorescent-emitting molecule and metal surface at the nanometer

scale, is normally utilized in the development of fluorescent biosensors, and the nano­

particle (NP) with a maximized surface area created, adding a nanoporous structure, is

used for effective drug delivery. In recent years, as research to develop nanomaterials with

superior properties continues, several 2D nanomaterials, such as transition metal dichal­

cogenide (TMD) and MXene, have been reported with excellent and unique properties

beyond metal or carbon nanomaterials [2].

Among the myriad of fields in which nanomaterials can be utilized, the field of bioe­

lectronics is particularly expected to benefit from the introduction of nanomaterials.

Bioelectronics is the convergent research field of biology and electronics that studies the

demonstration and implementation of electronic functions on the biochip using bioma­

terials [3]. Since nanometer-sized biomaterials such as enzymes and nucleic acids are

directly used for the demonstration of electronic functions by themselves without a

combination of lots of electronic components, bioelectronics may overcome the current

issues of conventional silicon-based electronic devices that will hit limits in terms of

physics (e.g., production process problems in high-density integration of electronic cir­

cuits or the limitation of the thickness of the current electronic circuits). Accordingly,

several types of bioelectronic devices have been developed using biomaterials like bio­

memory, biologic gates, bioprocessors, and biotransistors corresponding to core elec­

tronic devices (Figure 17.1). However, due to the usage of biomaterials, bioelectronic

devices face problems derived from biomaterials including the poor electric or electro­

chemical signal-to-noise ratio, instability in harsh conditions, or limitation of bioelectronic

functional expansion [4]. These limitations may hinder the development of novel func­

tional bioelectronic devices that can be used for developing the biocomputer, which could

conduct the overall computing functions through the combination of properties of var­

ious biomaterials. To address these issues, nanomaterials have recently been introduced

in bioelectronics. Nanomaterials offer advantages that can solve the limitations of bio­

materials. For example, nanomaterials can provide the stable template for the im­

mobilization of biomaterials, highly conductive electrodes, and diversification of

electronic functions implemented through the expansion of signals derived from bio­

materials. Therefore, it is expected that nanomaterial-assisted bioelectronic devices may

contribute to the development of the biocomputer.

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Bioelectronics