1) Biosensors are devices that use biological or chemical reactions to measure analytes by generating signals proportional to analyte concentration. They are used in applications like disease monitoring, drug discovery, and pollution detection.
2) A biosensor consists of a bioreceptor that recognizes the analyte, a transducer that converts the biorecognition into a measurable signal, electronics that process the signal, and a display that shows the results.
3) Important characteristics of biosensors include selectivity for the target analyte, reproducibility of results, stability over time and varying conditions, high sensitivity to detect low analyte levels, and a linear response over different analyte concentrations.