Glazunov’s electrography—the first electrochemical imaging and the first solid-state electroanalysis

Aleksandr Il’ich Glazunov developed the first electrochemical technique to image the surface of conducting solids giving the technique the name electrography. The electrographic images can mirror the distribution of elements on the surface of solid materials and also the electrochemical activity, caused by variations of “dissolution tension”. Thus, he has established for the first time a kind of spatially resolved electrochemistry. Electrography is also the first direct electroanalytical technique for solid materials. The present paper gives an account of his turbulent life in Russia, Czechoslovakia and Chile, and a discussion of his main scientific achievement, the development of electrography.

CMOS electrochemical imaging arrays for the detection and classification of microorganisms

Microorganisms account for most of the biodiversity on earth. Yet while there are increasingly powerful tools for studying microbial genetic diversity, there are fewer tools for studying microorganisms in their natural environments. In this paper, we present recent advances in CMOS electrochemical imaging arrays for detecting and classifying microorganisms. These microscale sensing platforms can provide non-optical measurements of cell geometries, behaviors, and metabolic markers. We review integrated electronic sensors appropriate for monitoring microbial growth, and present measurements of single-celled algae using a CMOS sensor array with thousands of active pixels. Integrated electrochemical imaging can contribute to improved medical diagnostics and environmental monitoring, as well as discoveries of new microbial populations.