Electrochemical Sensing of Thyroid Hormones
Summary
Electrochemical sensing of thyroid hormones has emerged as a rapid, sensitive and cost-effective approach for clinical diagnostics and environmental monitoring. By coupling selective biorecognition elements—such as antibodies, enzymes or molecularly imprinted polymers—with electrochemical transducers, these sensors translate hormone binding events into measurable electrical signals. Modifications of electrode surfaces with nanomaterials enhance electron transfer rates and increase the active surface area, boosting sensitivity and lowering detection limits into the nanomolar or even picomolar range. Techniques such as cyclic voltammetry and pulse voltammetry enable real-time monitoring of hormone redox behaviour, while inkjet-printing and screen-printing technologies facilitate scalable fabrication of portable devices. Advances in supramolecular preconcentration and metal–organic frameworks have further improved selectivity. Collectively, these innovations pave the way for point-of-care platforms capable of monitoring triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) in biological fluids, advancing personalised medicine and endocrine disorder management worldwide.
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Electrochemical Sensing of Thyroid Hormones publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in electrochemical sensing of thyroid hormones across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Electrochemical biosensor: A device combining a biological recognition element with an electrochemical transducer to quantify analytes.
Cyclic voltammetry: An electroanalytical technique that measures current response as potential is cycled to probe redox properties of analytes.
Differential pulse voltammetry: A voltammetric method employing potential pulses to enhance sensitivity and resolution of analyte detection.
Graphene nanocomposite: A hybrid material comprising graphene integrated with nanoparticles or polymers to improve conductivity and surface area.
Metal–organic framework (MOF): A crystalline network of metal ions and organic ligands offering high porosity for immobilisation of sensing elements.
References
- A Novel Strategy for Selective Thyroid Hormone Determination Based on an Electrochemical Biosensor with Graphene Nanocomposite. Sensors (2023).
- Amperometric Inkjet-Printed Thyroxine Sensor Based on Customized Graphene and Tunned Cyclodextrins as the Preconcentration Element. Nanomaterials (2024).
- Voltammetric immunosensor for selective thyroxine detection using Cu‐MOF@PANI composite. Electrochemical Science Advances (2021).
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