Recent development and application of cataluminescence-based sensors

A cataluminescence (CTL)-based sensor is fabricated based on the CTL signals generated from catalytic reaction on the surface of solid catalytic materials. CTL-based sensors have been developed since the 1990s and have attracted extensive attention due to long-term stability, linear concentration dependence, good reproducibility and fast response. In recent years, CTL-based sensors and sensor arrays have played important roles in chemical analysis, and were applied to determine the presence of organic gas, inorganic gas, or biological molecules, or to evaluate catalysts. However, due to the relatively low catalytic ability of catalysts or low reactivity of some analytes, high working temperature was normally adopted, which limited the applications. Recently, more advanced techniques were introduced into the fabrication of CTL-based sensors to increase the range of applications, such as advanced enrichment techniques, advanced sampling methods, advanced assisted devices, or multiple detections in array or tandem forms. This review summarizes the recent advancements of CTL-based sensors on development of advanced equipment, advanced sensing materials, new working principles examination, and new applications. Finally, we discuss some critical challenges and prospects in this field.