Recent Advances in Electrochemical Sensors for Detecting Weapons of Mass Destruction. A Review

The detection of chemical warfare agents (CWA) has become a worldwide security concern in light of the many recent international threats utilizing nerve agents. Among a variety of detection methods that have been developed for CWA, electrochemical sensors offer the unrivaled merits of high sensitivity, specificity and operational simplicity. Recent insights into novel fabrication methodologies and electrochemical techniques have resulted in the demonstration of electrochemical sensors able to address many of the limitations of conventional methodologies. This article reviews recent advances and developments in the field of electrochemical biosensors based detection of nerve agent and their utility for decentralized threat detection. With continued innovations and attention to key challenges, it is expected that electrochemical sensors will play a pivotal role in the CWA detection scenario. This review concludes with the implications of the electrochemical sensing platforms along with future prospects and challenges.