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Material Science Chemistry of Electrochemical Microsensors and Applications for Biofilm Research

Microelectrodes, needle-shaped biochemical microsensors fabricated from pulled glass micropipettes, are one of the most prominent, novel methods for studying biofilms. The pulled glass tip can have a diameter of 3–20 μm, allowing for the measurement of the concentrations of specific biological and chemical compounds in microbial communities. Net specific consumption and production rates (i.e., biological activity) at a certain depth can be estimated from the measured concentration profiles. This article is focused on solid-state, needle-type, electrochemical microsensors for detecting important water quality parameters (e.g., oxygen, pH, nitrite, chlorine species, redox, and phosphate). Sensing materials include gold (including a gold-electroplated sensing surface), platinum, carbon-fiber, carbon nanotube, iridium, and cobalt. Emphasis is placed on the material science chemistry behind how electrochemical microelectrode sensors operate. Innovative applications of microsensors, including microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) microelectrode array sensor microfabrication, and three-dimensional microprofile measurement and interpretation will also be demonstrated. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are a relatively new member in the carbon family and are being used in biofilm research. Distinctive properties of CNTs and the relationship between structure and their electrochemistry performance are discussed. The electrochemical application of CNTs is focused on nitrite detection.