Semiconductor-based nanostructures for photoelectrochemical sensors and biosensors

A diverse array of semiconductor-based nanostructures have been synthesized and utilized in many applications, in which photoelectrochemical sensor or biosensor is a new kind of developing analytical technology for the detection of the low concentration of analytes. Due to the parameters of the detection processes in relation to the photocurrent or photopotential and the appearance of new semiconductor-based functional nanostructures, it makes photoelectrochemical analysis with high sensitivity, rapid detection, inherent miniaturization, and easy portability. In this chapter, we will introduce the basic principle of the photoelectrochemical sensor or biosensor and focus on the new progress of photoelectrochemical sensors and biosensors with different semiconductor materials. Meanwhile, a variety of detection mechanisms and the characteristics of photoelectrochemical sensor and biosensor are also introduced and their future developments are also prospected and discussed