3D-printed thermoplastic sensors for electrochemical biosensing

While the importance of electrochemical sensors in diagnostics is well established—offering rapid and selective biomarker determinations in complex matrices—there is a continuous request for simpler, more cost-effective and sustainable sensor fabrication procedures. 3D-printing technologies, particularly fused deposition modeling (FDM), allow for the digital, rapid, and labor-free fabrication of disposable (bio)sensors, while also enabling the printing of fully integrated, miniaturized plastic devices within points-of-need settings. This review highlights recent trends in the development of 3D-printed thermoplastic (bio)sensors and mini devices that utilize bioelements and artificial biomimetic materials for biomolecules monitoring. Additionally, it provides an overview of the synthesis of tailor-made 3D printable conductive filaments incorporating biofunctional materials, from which ready-to-use sensors are fabricated for direct biosensing.