Functionalized bacterial nanocellulose-based smart bioelectronics for biosensing

Bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) is a highly crystalline, renewable, biocompatible nanomaterial with properties of high mechanical strength, high levels of hydrophilicity and an interlinked network of nanofibrils with the ability to entrap biomolecules and transmit signals. This review explores functionalisation strategies to enhance the conductivity, biocompatibility, and sensing capabilities of BNC for smart bioelectronic and wearable biosensing devices. BNC can be made an electroactive sensing array with improved charge transfer, diffusion of analytes, flexibility, and conformal contact based on conductive polymers, metallic nanoparticles, carbon nanomaterials, biomolecular linkers, MXene/graphene hybrids, 3D-printed frameworks, and self-healing hydrated gels to enable the creation of implant also mentioned in the manuscript is the principle of biosensing, the architecture of biosensors, and the performance advantages of biosensors with BNC-based composites in both, electrochemical and optical sensing technologies, such as real-time data collection in soft biological interfaces, low power, and data-driven biosensors. The important bottlenecks are scaling, long-term stability, MXene systems due to oxidation effects, device miniaturisation, in vivo functionality, reproducible characterisation, and regulatory approval. Functionalised BNC is described as a sustainable, versatile platform for next-generation, eco-friendly, self-powered, and clinically relevant biosensors for real-time health monitoring, and green synthesis, surface engineering, and signal optimisation remain significant to translation and broader adoption from laboratory to clinic in practice.