Advanced Functional Membranes for Sensor Technologies

Abstract

Sensors are modern data acquisition devices intended for detecting a specific change in the surrounding area and responding with an output signal. Among them, biological sensors (or biosensors) are of great interest due to their capacity for detecting molecules that indicate changes in people's health. This chapter provides an overview of the polymeric membranes that have novel or advanced functions in applications for the development of lab-on-chip or sensor technologies. Important approaches in this matter include the improvement of membranes as supporting medium of recognition element of the sensor, advances in membrane composition for protecting the integrity of target molecules, or the option to filter undesired components. The chapter is divided into three sections: membrane fabrication, molecular probes and platforms for reading sensor devices.