Electrochemical Biosensors for Pollutants in the Environment

This article reviews recent advances in electrochemical biosensing and detection of environmental pollutants. Electrochemical biosensors offer precision, sensitivity, rapidity, and ease of operation for on‐site environmental analysis. An electrochemical biosensor is an analytical device in which a specific biological recognition element (bioreceptor) is integrated within or intimately associated with an electrode (transducer) that converts the recognition event to a measurable electrical signal for the purpose of detecting a target compound (analyte) in solution. This approach not only provides the means for on‐site analysis but also removes the time delay and sample alteration that can occur during transport to a centralized laboratory. We first address the basic principles of merging of electrochemistry and biology into a biosensing system, and then we discuss various environmental monitoring strategies involving this technology.