3D-printed sensing platforms and their feasibility for environmental monitoring

After a brief introduction of the state of the art in environmental monitoring and 3D-printing technology, this review presents a general summary report about the most relevant electrochemical sensors fabricated by 3D-printing during the past five years. Being mainly applied in environmental monitoring, food industry and healthcare and pharmaceutical industry, the printing design, choice of electrode modification and analytical performance of those sensors are compared and discussed. Furthermore, to gain a better understanding about the achievements and limitations of the electrochemical sensors designed for environmental monitoring, a more detailed analysis is carried out by mainly focusing on water pollution detection and quality monitoring. Finally, to take better advantage of 3D-printing, the possible improvements and the future of further applying this technique into the environmental monitoring section is also discussed.