Shaping and exploring the micro- and nanoworld using bipolar electrochemistry

Bipolar electrochemistry is a technique with a rather young history in the field of analytical chemistry. Being based on the polarization of a conducting object which is exposed to an external electric field, it allowed recently the development of new methods for controlled surface modification at the micro- and nanoscale and very original analytical applications. Using bipolar electrodes, analyte separation and detection becomes possible based on miniaturized systems. Moreover, the modified objects that can be created with bipolar electrochemistry could find applications as key components for detection systems. In this contribution, the principles of bipolar electrochemistry will be reviewed, as well as recent developments that focus on the modification of objects at the nano- and microscale and their potential application in miniaturized analytical systems.