Recent progress in homogeneous electrochemical sensors and their designs and applications

Electrochemical sensor has been regarded as a promising tool for highly sensitive and selective detection of analytes due to rapid response, easy operation and miniaturization. Nevertheless, traditional sensors require the immobilization of electroactive dyes and recognizable elements, which are laborious, take time and distort the activity of bio-recognizable elements. Homogeneous strategy is a promising alternative to address the abovementioned issues lying in traditional electrochemical sensors, and therefore, homogeneous electrochemical sensor has attracted substantial attentions around the world. This review discusses the recent research progress on the design, development and application of homogeneous electrochemical sensors for target analytes from a single signal to dual signal and from a single analyte to multiple analytes. Additionally, the present challenges and further advancements are also highlighted. We expect this review will promote the rapid development of homogenous electrochemical sensors and broaden their application field from electrochemistry to other techniques.