The general principle of a biosurface is a solid surface with an additional layer of biological macromolecules. Because this molecular layer will reversibly respond to changes in the environment of the surface, it is also called “stimuli-responsive monolayer”.  The external stimuli can be for example changes in temperature, changes in magnetic fields, mechanical forces or changes in electric fields. 
Different strategies can be used to attach a monolayer of biomolecules to a surface, for example atomic layer deposition or layer-by-layer deposition. Another option is the fabrication of self-assembled monolayers (SAM). The surface used most often with this strategy is a gold electrode. SAM form by spontaneous organization of the molecules, for example alkanethiolates, on the substrate. SAM can be used as surface layers for nanoparticles, e.g. in MRI contrast agents, they can protect metal films from corrosion, and have many other applications in electrochemistry and nanoscience. For their application as a biosensor, one of the most often used molecules self-assembling on gold electrodes is DNA. Due to its molecular structure, double stranded DNA molecules are negatively charged and rigid. By applying an alternating potential to the biosurface, the attached DNA strands can be moved systematically because they will switch between an upright position and a flat position. This enables the usage of the biosurface as a biosensor.