Detection of biological molecules: From self-assembled films to self-integrated devices

Biological molecules are often detected from an analyte mixture by selective binding to a solid support. The function of the sensor is then to detect such surface binding events, to convert them to an electrical signal, and to extract information from the signal. These functions, although simple in principle pose a number of challenges. Nevertheless, research progress has made it possible to formulate approximate guidelines for the chemical modification of sensor surfaces so as to optimize device performance. An overview is given of methods used to derivatize surfaces with biological probes on silica-like and metal supports.