Hydrogen peroxide
(H2O2) is a common chemical
used in many industries and can be found in various biological environments,
water, and air. Yet, H2O2 in a certain range
of concentrations can be hazardous and toxic. Therefore, it is crucial
to determine its concentration at different conditions for safety
and diagnostic purposes. This review provides an insight about different
types of sensors that have been developed for detection of H2O2. Their flexibility, stability, cost, detection limit,
manufacturing, and challenges in their applications have been compared.
More specifically the advantages and disadvantages of various flexible
substrates that have been utilized for the design of H2O2 sensors were discussed. These substrates include carbonaceous
substrates (e.g., reduced graphene oxide films, carbon cloth, carbon,
and graphene fibers), polymeric substrates, paper, thin glass, and
silicon wafers. Many of these substrates are often decorated with
nanostructures composed of Pt, Au, Ag, MnO2, Fe3O4, or a conductive polymer to enhance the performance
of sensors. The impact of these nanostructures on the sensing performance
of resulting flexible H2O2 sensors has been
reviewed in detail. In summary, the detection limits of these sensors
are within the range of 100 nM–1 mM, which makes them potentially,
but not necessarily, suitable for applications in health, food, and
environmental monitoring. However, the required sample volume, cost,
ease of manufacturing, and stability are often neglected compared
to other detection parameters, which hinders sensors’ real-world
application. Future perspectives on how to address some of the substrate
limitations and examples of application-driven sensors are also discussed.