The role of biosilica and its potential for sensing technologies: A review.

Efficiently managing agricultural waste while innovating to derive value-added products is a significant challenge in the 21st century. In recent decades, these by-products have been increasingly explored as alternative sources for materials such as biosilica. Biosilica is renowned for its high surface area, biocompatibility, chemical stability, and modifiable surface, which makes it suitable for various applications. Additionally, the biomineralization process-biosilicification-in living organisms like diatoms offers an eco-friendly pathway for silica production. Despite the potential applications of biosilica, research on its use in sensor technology remains limited. This review aims to address this gap by covering the primary methodologies for extracting silica from biomass, discussing key techniques for its characterization, and highlighting its potential for functionalization in diverse applications. Special emphasis is given to the utility of diatom-derived biosilicas in developing sensors for detecting gaseous molecules and biomolecules.