Graphene Photodetectors Toward Practical Technologies for Biosensing: Mechanisms, Architectures, Applications, and Integration Challenges.
4 affiliations
- 1School of Physics Science and Information Technology, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252000, China.
- 2Shandong Liaocheng Laixin Powder Materials Science and Technology Co., Ltd., Liaocheng 252000, China.
- 3Shandong Jinhengli Mechanical Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Taian 271200, China.
- 4Centre of Excellence for Nanotechnology, Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation, Vaddeswaram 522302, Andhra Pradesh, India.
Abstract
Graphene, with its 2D structure, zero bandgap, high carrier mobility, and broadband absorption, is an ideal platform for next-generation photodetectors with substantial promise for biosensing applications. This review summarizes recent progress in graphene photodetectors along the following two lines: device physics and applications. At the device level, the following three types are discussed: heterojunction, photogating, and photothermoelectric/plasmonic. Performance enhancements via band engineering, interface control, and nanostructure design are revealed. For example, a SiO₂/CuO buffer layer in heterojunction detectors achieves an on/off ratio of 1.1 × 10², greatly improving responsivity. At the application level, breakthroughs and challenges in extreme environment monitoring, flexible wearables, large-scale integration, multifunctional intelligent sensing, and full-band detection are explored. These advances show broad prospects in biomedical sensing, wearable health monitoring, intelligent imaging, high-speed optical communication, and defense. This review constructs a knowledge graph covering physical mechanisms, material processes, and system applications. It analyzes core contradictions in performance trade-offs, process compatibility, and system integration and outlines the following future directions: exploring new physical mechanisms, CMOS-compatible heterogeneous integration, and intelligent sensing memory computation integration. The goal is to provide theoretical and technical guidance for transitioning graphene photodetectors from the lab to practical applications, including biomedical diagnostics and wearable healthcare systems.
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BibTeX
@article{sun2026graphene,
title = {{Graphene Photodetectors Toward Practical Technologies for Biosensing: Mechanisms, Architectures, Applications, and Integration Challenges.}},
author = {Xinzhuo Sun and Hao Su and Zhongjie Zhu and Dandan Sang and Zhanfeng Zhang and Hang Li and Santosh Kumar and Qinglin Wang},
journal = {Biosensors},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.3390/bios16100536},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42930083},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Graphene Photodetectors Toward Practical Technologies for Biosensing: Mechanisms, Architectures, Applications, and Integration Challenges.
AU - Xinzhuo Sun
AU - Hao Su
AU - Zhongjie Zhu
AU - Dandan Sang
AU - Zhanfeng Zhang
AU - Hang Li
AU - Santosh Kumar
AU - Qinglin Wang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/24
JO - Biosensors
DO - 10.3390/bios16100536
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42930083
AB - Graphene, with its 2D structure, zero bandgap, high carrier mobility, and broadband absorption, is an ideal platform for next-generation photodetectors with substantial promise for biosensing applications. This review summarizes recent progress in graphene photodetectors along the following two lines: device physics and applications. At the device level, the following three types are discussed: heterojunction, photogating, and photothermoelectric/plasmonic. Performance enhancements via band engineering, interface control, and nanostructure design are revealed. For example, a SiO₂/CuO buffer layer in heterojunction detectors achieves an on/off ratio of 1.1 × 10², greatly improving responsivity. At the application level, breakthroughs and challenges in extreme environment monitoring, flexible wearables, large-scale integration, multifunctional intelligent sensing, and full-band detection are explored. These advances show broad prospects in biomedical sensing, wearable health monitoring, intelligent imaging, high-speed optical communication, and defense. This review constructs a knowledge graph covering physical mechanisms, material processes, and system applications. It analyzes core contradictions in performance trade-offs, process compatibility, and system integration and outlines the following future directions: exploring new physical mechanisms, CMOS-compatible heterogeneous integration, and intelligent sensing memory computation integration. The goal is to provide theoretical and technical guidance for transitioning graphene photodetectors from the lab to practical applications, including biomedical diagnostics and wearable healthcare systems.
SN - 2079-6374
ER -