Advances in Electrochemical Sensors for Rapid Chemical Analysis

Abstract

Electrochemical sensors convert a chemical interaction at an electrode into an electrical signal, offering fast response, high sensitivity, low cost and easy miniaturisation. These features make them attractive for rapid chemical analysis in environmental monitoring, food safety, clinical diagnostics and industrial control. This article reviews recent advances in the field, beginning with the principles of electrochemical sensing and the main measurement techniques, including voltammetry, amperometry, potentiometry and impedance spectroscopy. The role of electrode materials and nanomaterial modification, the use of enzymes, antibodies, aptamers and imprinted polymers as recognition elements, and the development of screen-printed and flexible devices are discussed. Applications and performance criteria are examined, together with the management of interference in complex samples. A representative amperometric experiment illustrates how current responds to successive analyte additions, and the values shown are illustrative. The article concludes that continued progress in materials, device engineering and data processing is moving electrochemical sensors from laboratory tools to dependable field and point-of-care instruments.