Single Chemical Sensor for Multi-Analyte Mixture Detection and Measurement: A Review

Multi-analyte chemical sensor aims to transform subtle variations in multiple analytes’ physical or chemical properties into distinct output signals. Chemically responsive nanostructure array (nanoarray) promises as a competitive sensor platform due to its robust physical properties, tunable chemical composition, and high surface area for analyte interaction. Specifically, the well-defined size, shape, and tunable surface structure and properties make it feasible to develop either new sensing modes on single device or integrated multi-modular sensors. In conjunction with the well-developed resistor-type sensors and sensor arrays, the complementary utilization of and intercorrelation with the electrochemical, optical, voltammetry modes in the multi-modular sensing strategies could provide multi-dimensional measurements to different analytes in a complex mixture form, where species information could be accurately and robustly separated from spatially collective responses. This review intends to provide a survey of the recent progress on multi-analyte sensing strategies and their unique structure design, as well as the related sensing mechanics in interaction of analytes and sensitizer and the behind mechanism for analytes’ differentiation.