New sensing principles for ion detection

Abstract

Public and private bodies responsible for public hygiene and health and all sectors of industry, require accurate, reproducible, stable and low cost ion sensors. The currently used sensing technologies (potentiometric ion selective electrodes and voltammetric assay techniques on a mercury electrode) do not satisfy the existing need for real-time monitoring of water quality and industrial effluents on a large scale. Also unsatisfied remains the need for real-time assays of blood electrolytes at the point of care. These challenges explain the further search for new scientific and technical solutions in the field of ion sensors. Recently we have developed two novel techniques for ion detection in aqueous solutions: (i) ion-selective conductometric microsensors; (ii) ion-selective voltammetric electrodes.