the Dirac point which occurred when target miRNA was hybridized with probe DNA,

target miRNAs were detected with high sensitivity within 20 minutes without labeling.

Moreover, this FET biosensor was manufactured on a flexible polyimide substrate, and it

maintained its properties even after bending it several times which showed the possibility

of the development of flexible or wearable FET biosensor by using biomaterials and

nanomaterials. As seen so far, the conjugation of nanomaterials and nucleic acids com­

plements each material, leading to the development of functional bioelectronic devices

that will be the base to develop a biocomputer.

17.6 Conclusion and Future Perspectives

Bioelectronics is being studied to demonstrate various delicate electronic functions using

biomaterials to address issues of current silicon-based electronics and to develop a bio­

computer capable of performing various electronic processes similar to a commercialized

computer. However, since biomaterials have intrinsic disadvantages such as instability

and narrowness of functionalization by themselves, it is hard to implement the sophis­

ticated electronic functions using only biomaterials on the biochip with reproducibility,

which is essential for the development of the biocomputer. Nanomaterials suggest a

promising approach to address these issues by combining with biomaterials and using

their exceptional properties such as the large surface area and high conductivity. Through

the introduction of nanomaterials into bioelectronics, it can enhance the electronic signals

from biomaterials, improve the biomolecular stability, and expand the electronic func­

tions of biomaterials to demonstrate various bioelectronic functions on the biochip. In

recent years, nanomaterial-assisted bioelectronic devices are being studied as a key ele­

ment in developing various types of functional bioelectronic devices required to develop

a biocomputer.

In this chapter, nanomaterial-assisted bioelectronic devices were discussed by the cate­

gorized sections. First, we discussed the bioelectronic devices developed using only bio­

materials, especially using widely studied biomaterials including protein and nucleic acids.

After that, several novel nanomaterials hugely studied in the development of bioelectronic

devices were provided, including metal, carbon, TMD, and MXene nanomaterials, with

their unique properties suitable for the development of bioelectronic devices. Next, based

on the classification divided by widely studied types of bioelectronic devices including the

biomemory, biologic gate/bioprocessor, and biotransistor, nanomaterial-assisted protein-

based bioelectronic devices and nanomaterial-assisted nucleic acid-based bioelectronic

devices were discussed with recently reported studies.

Still, there are obstacles to be addressed for the practical application of nanomaterial-

assisted bioelectronic devices. For example, the mass production issue of discussed

novel nanomaterials should be addressed to achieve the cost-effective development of

bioelectronic devices. Going beyond the implementation of electronic functions at

the protein or nucleic acid level, the development of novel nanohybrid material and

relevant techniques, such as efficient conjugation methods, is required to demonstrate

various delicate electronic functions at a cellular level and for the sophisticated reg­

ulation of cell networks and 3D neural cell models for the development of biocomputer.

Also, in line with recent research on the development of flexible/wearable electronics,

research on the development of excellent flexible electrodes that will serve as suitable

Nanomaterial-Assisted Devices

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