Technological needs for chemical, ionic and biological species detection are giving rise to continuous research and development in physico-chemistry and biology. The constant progress being made in the theoretical and technological aspects concerning studies and developments of chemical sensors, biosensors and biochips is presented in this book by different scientists and professors from different universities and constitutes an updating of the state of the art for chemical sensors, biosensors and biochips.

This book places a large emphasis on interaction between chemical and biological species, in a gaseous or liquid state, and details mineral and biological materials acting as sensitive elements. The role of electrical, electrochemical, piezoelectric and optical transducers in detection mechanisms are presented through their developments and from a performance point-of-view. Micro-reactors, nanotechnologies and flexible substrates, are considered in relation to their role in neural networks.

René Lalauze is Professor at Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Saint Etienne, France. His topics of interest focus on physico-chemistry, aspects of solid–gas interactions. He contributes towards the development of theoretical models and industrial prototypes for several gas sensors. He has been a director of a teaching and research department of the Ecole des Mines de Saint Etienne and director of a CNRS research unit.