Do not let electrode fouling be the enemy of bioanalysis.

Electrochemical biosensors are one of the best choices for the sensing of biomarkers due to their high performance, low cost, miniaturization, and wide applicability. However, like for any sensing process, electrode fouling affects severely the analytical performance of the sensor, such as sensitivity, detection limit, reproducibility, and overall reliability. Fouling arises from nonspecific adsorption of different components present in the sensing medium and in particular in complex biofluids such as full blood.

Tuning Photoinduced Electron Transfer in POM-Bodipy Hybrids by Controlling the Environment: Experiment and Theory.

The optical and electrochemical properties of a series of polyoxometalate (POM) oxoclusters decorated with two bodipy (boron-dipyrromethene) light-harvesting units were examined. Evaluated here in this polyanionic donor-acceptor system is the effect of the solvent and associated counterions on the intramolecular photoinduced electron transfer. The results show that both solvents and counterions have a major impact upon the energy of the charge-transfer state by modifying the solvation shell around the POMs.