Chemical Sensors

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xiv

   PDF

2. Molecular and Ionic Recognition by Biological Systems

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1

      PDF

   2. Molecular and ionic recognition by biological systems

      • L. J. Kricka

      Pages 3-14

3. Molecular and Ionic Recognition by Chemical Methods

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 15-15

      PDF

   2. Molecular and ionic recognition by chemical methods

      • P. D. Beer

      Pages 17-72

4. Implementing Molecular and Ionic Recognition

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 73-73

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   2. Organic sensor materials in entangled and polymer-bound matrices for ion-selective electrodes

      • G. J. Moody, J. D. R. Thomas

      Pages 75-116

   3. Conducting polymers

      • W. J. Feast

      Pages 117-131

   4. Chemically modified electrodes

      • G. G. Wallace

      Pages 132-154

   5. Immunoassay techniques

      • N. J. Seare

      Pages 155-167

   6. Selective chemical transduction based on chemoreceptive control of membrane ion permeability

      • M. Thompson, W. H. Dorn

      Pages 168-190

5. Electrochemical Transduction

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 191-191

      PDF

   2. Voltammetric and amperometric transducers

      • T. E. Edmonds

      Pages 193-213

   3. Potentiometric transducers

      • B. J. Birch, T. E. Edmonds

      Pages 214-224

   4. MOSFET devices

      • I. Robins

      Pages 225-235

   5. Thick film devices

      • R. E. Belford, R. G. Kelly, A. E. Owen

      Pages 236-255

6. Non-Electrochemical Transduction

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 257-257

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   2. Catalytic devices

      • S. J. Gentry

      Pages 259-274

   3. Spectroscopic and fibre-optic transducers

      • A. L. Harmer, R. Narayanaswamy

      Pages 275-294

   4. Piezoelectric transducers

      • G. J. Bastiaans

      Pages 295-319

At the beginning of this book, and in the absence of guidance from IUPAC, it is appropriate to clarify the term 'chemical sensor'. A chemical sensor may be defined as a simple-to-use, robust device that is capable of reliable quantitative or qualitative recognition of atomic, molecular or ionic species. It is hard to imagine a field of applied chemistry in which a significant impact could not be made by such a device. Undoubtedly, it is this potential that has fuelled the contemporary preoccupation with chemical sensors. An unfortunate side-effect of this otherwise welcome interest is the use of the term 'chemical sensor' to add the chemical equivalent of a 'High-Tech gloss' to a rather ordinary device, publication, conference or research group. This loose usage of terminology is responsible in part for the ambiguity that surrounds many chemists' concepts of the form and function of chemical sensors. Further ambiguity arises from the extravagant claims that have been made for some sensors, and the impression that has been given of much 'verging-on-a-breakthrough' research. The research chemist engaged in sensor development should be mindful of the fact that the ultimate target for these devices is the real world, and that a successful laboratory device operating under well-defined conditions and careful calibration does not constitute a chemical sensor. Research into chemical sensors is not a recent phenomenon; it has been under way for over 80 years.

• biological
• chemical sensor
• chemistry
• development
• ion
• membrane
• polymer
• sensors
• spectroscopy
• transducer

• Department of Chemistry, Loughborough University of Technology, Loughborough, UK

  T. E. Edmonds

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