Advanced Electrochemical and Photoelectrochemical Sensing Strategies: From Nanomaterial Design to Multi-Modal Biomedical and Environmental Analysis

The field of chemical sensing is undergoing rapid transformation, driven by the growing demand for accurate, timely, and affordable detection methods for disease biomarkers and environmental contaminants. Despite significant progress in analytical technology, conventional detection platforms often struggle with limitations relating to sensitivity, selectivity, portability, and real-time measurement capability. In recent years, electrochemical and photoelectrochemical (PEC) sensors—enabled by breakthroughs in nanomaterial synthesis, signal transduction, and device integration—have emerged as promising solutions to these longstanding challenges. Advances in semiconductor heterostructures, nanozymes, metal-organic frameworks, and functional biomolecular nanomaterials underpin novel approaches to multiplexed, sensitive, and robust analysis. Nevertheless, inconsistencies in detection accuracy and practical deployment remain obstacles, highlighting the need for deeper insight into both fundamental mechanisms and real-world applications.This Research Topic aims to unite chemists, materials scientists, analytical researchers, and clinical practitioners in exploring the latest advances in electrochemical and PEC sensing platforms. Our goals are to spotlight novel sensing nanomaterials, elucidate innovative signal transduction and amplification chemistries, and foster multi-modal detection strategies that push the limits of reliability and portability. We are particularly interested in bridging the gap between fundamental discoveries and their translation into biomedical diagnostics and environmental monitoring. Key questions include how best to design next-generation nanomaterials for selective and sensitive detection, which multi-signal strategies can robustly validate clinically relevant biomarkers or pollutants, and how computational or theoretical insights can optimize sensor performance at the molecular level.This Research Topic welcomes contributions that address the breadth of electrochemical and PEC sensing chemistry and its impact on diagnostic and environmental fields, while acknowledging practical limitations such as device scalability and interface complexity. We welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:• Design and synthesis of novel sensing nanomaterials, such as semiconductor heterostructures, nanozymes, metal-organic frameworks, and DNA-based materials for electrochemical and PEC sensing• Development of multi-modal and multi-signal sensing strategies, including dual-mode and self-powered readout platforms• Electrochemical and PEC immunoassays for disease biomarker detection, with emphasis on novel signal amplification mechanisms and transduction chemistries• Chemical sensing approaches for environmental pollutants and emerging contaminants, such as PFAS, antibiotics, and persistent organic pollutants• Organic small-molecule probes and functional molecular design for selective recognition and integrated signal generation• Point-of-care and portable devices for field-deployable electrochemical or photoelectrochemical testing• Computational and theoretical studies elucidating electron transfer, interfacial chemistry, and predictive modeling of sensor performance Topic editors: Qingzhi Han, Xiang Ren, Jinhui Feng, Yaoguang Wang, Xiangheng Niu Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/80203/advanced-electrochemical-and-photoelectrochemical-sensing-strategies-from-nanomaterial-design-to-multi-modal-biomedical-and-environmental-analysis