Biosensors and Nanotheranostics
Bionanotechnology, Drug Delivery, Therapeutics | online ISSN 3064-7789
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Volume 4 Number 1 2025
REVIEWS (Open Access)
Bismuth-Based Electrodes in Electroanalysis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Performance, Sensitivity, and Applications
Lamiah Hossain 1*, Sarenur Turan 2
Biosensors and Nanotheranostics 4 (1) 1-8 https://doi.org/10.25163/biosciences.4110521
Submitted: 16 May 2025 Revised: 10 July 2025 Accepted: 18 July 2025 Published: 19 July 2025
Abstract
Bismuth-based electrodes have emerged as important alternatives to traditional mercury electrodes, offering a safer, environmentally friendly platform for electrochemical detection across environmental, biological, and industrial samples. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated evidence from published studies investigating the analytical performance, sensitivity, and application range of bismuth-based electrodes, including bismuth film electrodes, bismuth-modified carbon electrodes, and bismuth-embedded screen-printed systems. Searches were performed across Google Scholar, PubMed, and Scopus, and studies reporting analytical limits, calibration performance, and application outcomes were included. Data were extracted using a standardized template, and meta-analytic comparisons were conducted on limit-of-detection (LOD) values and sensitivity across electrode types. Across the included studies, bismuth-based electrodes consistently demonstrated high sensitivity, simple fabrication, and strong compatibility with stripping voltammetric techniques. Meta-analysis showed that bismuth film electrodes provided significantly improved LODs compared to carbon-only electrodes, supporting their role as highly effective platforms for trace metal detection. Evidence also highlighted their broad applicability—from detecting heavy metals and pesticides to monitoring pharmaceutical compounds and hormones in environmental matrices. Overall, results confirm that bismuth-based electrodes represent a robust, versatile, and green analytical tool. Their performance characteristics make them promising candidates for future analytical development, particularly in portable sensors and low-resource environmental monitoring settings.
Keywords: Bismuth electrodes; electroanalysis; bismuth film electrode; stripping voltammetry; screen-printed electrodes; sensitivity; analytical performance.
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