Surfactant Sensors for Bio-based Sensing

Abstract

Anionic surfactants are important components of many products used in everyday life in all households. They are also applied in various industrial fields at a very large scale. The latest development in the use of new ionophores has been presented here. Special attention has been given in this chapter to electrochemical surfactant sensors. The importance of surfactants in modern science is stressed. Electrochemical sensors are usually divided according to the measured physical quantity into potentiometric, amperometric, conductometric and impedimetric surfactant sensors. Potentiometric surfactant sensors are the most numerous due to their simplicity and versatility. They can be used either as end-point titration sensors or as direct EMF measurement sensors, in batch or flow-through mode. Some amperometric surfactant sensors are true biosensors that use microorganisms or living cells.