title: Conducting polymers in electrochemical sensing: factors influencing the electroanalytical signal.
abstract: The paper highlights the intrinsic role of the conducting polymers (CPs) in CP-based electrochemical sensing devices. The effects of specific parameters of the electrochemical synthesis and overall measurement protocol, such as nature of the solvent and doping ions, the characteristics of the electrochemical polymerisation procedure, the nature of the CP-carrying substrates, and the composition of the medium used for the electroanalytical measurement, are discussed in an attempt to provide guidelines necessary for optimisation of CP-based electrochemical sensing. The lesser stability of CPs is also addressed as one of the main possible drawbacks of these materials in comparison to inorganic-based sensors.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Physical Chemistry, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1113, Sofia, Bulgaria. tsakova@ipc.bas.bg.
authors.forename: Vessela
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Tsakova
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical and Geological Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 41121, Modena, Italy.|Institute of Organic Synthesis and Photoreactivity (ISOF), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), 40129, Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Renato
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Seeber
keywords: Amperometric sensing; Conducting polymers; Electroanalysis; Electrochemical sensors