Progress in photoelectrochemical immunoassay

Photoelectrochemical(PEC) analysis is a newly established analytical approach based on the photo-to-electrical properties of photoactive materials.It possesses many intrinsic advantages such as remarkable sensitivity,simple instrument and inherent miniaturization.On basis of the combination of PEC analysis and immunoassay,the PEC immunoassay has advantageously inherited the high sensitivity and specificity from the PEC analysis and the immunorecognition,respectively.Its general sensing mechanism is that,upon illumination,the photoactive materials could convert the specific immunoreactions into electrical signals,thereby realizing the quantification of various analytes.In past years,with the rapid development of PEC analysis,the PEC immunoassay has attracted considerable interests,and significant progresses have been achieved in its advancement and application.This review introduces the basic principles,classification,characteristics as well as the progress of PEC immunoassay.The future prospects in this area are also evaluated and discussed.