Recent progress regarding electrochemical sensors for the detection of typical pollutants in water environments

A variety of organic and inorganic pollutants in water environments pose threats to human health. Therefore, it is critical to develop effective techniques to determine and monitor the levels of water contamination. Compared to traditional detection methods, electrochemical sensors have the advantages of high sensitivity, low detection limits, and good selectivity. In this review, we summarize the progress made from 2000 to 2020 regarding the development of electrochemical sensors capable of detecting typical pollutants in different water environments. Since the concentrations of typical organic contaminants (antibiotics and pesticides) in water environments are often very low (generally at the nmol level), further improvements to the electrode sensitivity and detection limit will be necessary. We also found that more detailed cost analysis of electrode materials is needed to support future production and applications. When we apply the electrode to detect real water samples, the anti-interference and electrochemical sensor componentization need to be further enhanced. Besides, although groundwater serves as the main, or only, source of drinking water in many areas, current studies on the electrochemical detection of groundwater pollutants are limited. We hope that this review will provide new ideas for the future development of electrochemical water contaminant sensors.