Electrochemical Sensing Platforms and Applications

Electrochemical sensing platforms exploit electron transfer processes at electrode interfaces to detect chemical and biological analytes with high sensitivity and selectivity. These systems typically integrate functional materials—such as metal nanoparticles, carbon-based nanostructures, conducting polymers and deep eutectic solvent-derived films—to enhance surface area, catalytic activity and signal transduction. By coupling specific recognition elements (enzymes, antibodies, nucleic acids) with tailored electrode architectures, electrochemical sensors achieve rapid, low-cost analysis in fields ranging from clinical diagnostics and environmental monitoring to food safety and industrial process control. Advances in miniaturisation and wireless connectivity have further driven the development of portable and wearable devices for point-of-care and in situ measurements, underscoring the global significance of these platforms. Central to ongoing research are efforts to improve stability, reproducibility and multiplexing capability, as well as to expand detection to emerging targets such as biomarkers of disease, environmental pollutants and biological warfare agents. The integration of novel methodologies—electropolymerisation, plasma deposition and impedance spectroscopy—offers routes to finely tune electrode properties, opening new horizons for real-time, on-site and continuous monitoring applications worldwide.

Research from Nature Portfolio

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Electrochemical Sensing Platforms and Applications publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in electrochemical sensing platforms and applications across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy: A technique measuring the frequency-dependent response of an electrochemical system to a small perturbation, used to characterise charge transfer, diffusion and interfacial phenomena.

Deep eutectic solvent: A transient liquid mixture of a hydrogen-bond donor and acceptor that forms a low-melting-point medium, offering tunable solvation and conductivity for electrode film formation.

Electropolymerisation: The electrochemically driven formation of polymer films on electrode surfaces, enabling controlled deposition of redox-active or recognition layers.

Screen-printed electrode: A low-cost, mass-producible electrode platform fabricated by printing conductive inks onto substrates, suitable for disposable and portable sensing applications.

Nanocomposite: A hybrid material combining two or more nanoscale components (e.g., polymers and carbon nanotubes) to synergistically enhance mechanical, electrical and catalytic properties.

References

1. Cresyl violet electropolymerization on functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes in carboxylic acid based ternary deep eutectic solvents for hydroquinone sensing. Electrochimica Acta (2024).
2. Electrochemical sensing platform based on screen-printed carbon electrode modified with plasma polymerized acrylonitrile nanofilms for determination of bupropion. Microchimica Acta (2023).
3. Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy in the Characterisation and Application of Modified Electrodes for Electrochemical Sensors and Biosensors. Molecules (2022).