A Step-by-Step Guide for Developing and Improving an Electrochemical (Bio)sensor: A Tutorial Introduction for Beginners

Despite the growing popularity of electrochemical (bio)sensor development as a starting point for manufacturing point-of-care testing devices, there are no reports showing beginners in this research field a standard protocol to follow. This means that many master’s and PhD students conduct unsuccessful and unnecessary experiments because they do not receive formal training in this technique as part of their coursework. The aim of this tutorial is therefore to provide a practical guide to developing an electrochemical (bio)sensor, offering sufficient detail to enable students and instructors to adopt the protocol in their learning and teaching activities. Furthermore, this paper will assist beginners and electrochemistry researchers by providing clear, simplified laboratory procedures. It will focus on describing the various parameters involved in developing an electrochemical (bio)sensor and explaining the importance of each one and how to optimize it. These will be presented chronologically, from electrochemical material characterization to application as (bio)sensors. Supporting examples of existing publications will be provided, alongside discussions of topics such as the electrochemical characterization of the modified working electrode, the electrochemical behavior of analytes, optimization of (bio)sensor parameters, evaluation of the robustness of (bio)sensors, and the application of (bio)sensors in real media.