Research Article

Next-Generation Biosensors Based on Boron Nitride: Mechanisms, Platforms, and Future Prospects

Abstract

Boron nitride (BN) nanomaterials including nanosheets, nanotubes, and nanocrystals have emerged as promising platforms for next generation biosensing due to their unique structural, electronic, and biocompatible properties. This review presents a comprehensive overview of BN-based biosensors, highlighting their structural and physicochemical characteristics, synthesis and fabrication methods, and diverse functionalization strategies. Emphasis is placed on electrochemical, optical, and hybrid sensor platforms, detailing enzyme, DNA/aptamer, and immunosensor applications, as well as advanced techniques such as surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and fluorescence-based detection. The underlying sensing mechanisms, including charge transfer, electron tunneling, adsorption kinetics, and defect-mediated interactions, are analyzed to explain their influence on sensitivity, selectivity, and response time. Challenges such as large-scale synthesis, reproducibility, and device integration are discussed, alongside opportunities for microfluidic, wearable, and AI-assisted biosensors. By summarizing current achievements and identifying future directions, this review provides a critical roadmap for developing robust, high-performance BN-based biosensors for biomedical, environmental, and point-of-care applications.