A reliable, practical and cost-effective portable wireless potentiostat for mobile chemical sensing and biosensing

Abstract Traditional electrochemical workstations are costly, complex, bulky, and primarily used in laboratories. This study develops a reliable, practical, and cost-effective portable wireless potentiostat to achieve real-time detection on-site and overcome the limitations of traditional electrochemical workstations. The system employs a general-purpose microcontroller unit, a dual-mode bluetooth module and cost-effective multi-analog-to-digital converter to achieve differential sampling of the LMP91000. The system is equipped with buttons and OLEDs, enabling connection to mobile phones and computers for in-depth data analysis or independent operation. The system was successfully tested with [Fe(CN) 6 ] 3− , C 6 H 12 O 6 , and C 3 H 6 O 3 solutions at concentrations ranging from 0 to 20 mm. The goodness-of-fit ( R 2 ) values are 0.984, 0.996, and 0.998, respectively. The average relative standard deviation of the three blank solutions is approximately 3.22%. The detection limits measured (0.003, 0.009, and 0.005 mm) are all lower than the minimum detection concentration (0.2, 0.1, and 0.1 mM). The coefficient of variation for repetitive experiments is less than 5.53%. The device accurately executed chronoamperometry (applied voltage range is ± 1.2 V, current range is ± 882 μA, accuracy is ±1%) with high sensitivity and good repeatability. Based on this circuit, a lactic acid detector and a urine glucose detector were developed, which work stably and support long-term operation, proving the stability and reliability of the circuit. Compared to commercial electrochemical workstations, portable wireless electrochemical system offers remarkable advantages in cost (<$6.4), size (41.5 mm × 76.5 mm), and practicality, making it suitable for a range of applications, including biomedical analysis, food safety, environmental monitoring, and smart wearables.