Current trends and roles of surfactants for chromatographic and electrochemical sensing

Abstract Since surfactants reduce the interfacial tension of immiscible liquids by forming micelles through hydrophobic and hydrophilic groups in their structure, they are frequently used in different fields of analytical chemistry. The use of surfactants in analytical techniques continues to increase from past to present. They are used in chromatography to improve separation efficiency and reduce the amount of organic solvent. In electrochemical techniques, they have important functions such as increasing the selectivity and sensitivity of the sensor in the supporting electrolyte or as an electrode modifying agent. The use of surfactants in these techniques, as well as in capillary electrophoresis and sample preparation, draws attention. This review summarizes the recent applications of surfactants in these analytical techniques, along with their primary usage in chromatography, capillary electrophoresis, and electrochemical analysis. Moreover, this review also describes the structural properties of surfactants and the advantages of their use in these analytical techniques.