Chemical and biological sensors for environmental monitoring

Sampling and subsequent laboratory analyses of individual analytes (biological and chemical compounds of interest) are the gold standard for environmental monitoring. Relentless demand for more data and faster acquisition at lower cost, size, and power, however, continue to drive research in all major classes of biological and chemical sensors in environmental monitoring applications. Unlike many sensor arenas where a dominant technology has taken hold for decades, the best choice for chemical and biological environmental monitoring remains unclear. As a result, research continues across a broad range of sensor classes to find footholds in application-specific tasks. Since portability often sacrifices detection limit and stability/repeatability, the role of the electronic interface and the precision of the transduction mechanism often play a critical role in determining overall system performance. Thus, novel advances in the integration of circuits into sensor systems continue to offer valuable improvements to chemical and biological sensors especially in the complex media encountered in environmental monitoring applications.