Electrochemical detection of nanoparticles by ‘nano-impact’ methods

•“Nano-impact” enables detection and quantification of single nanoparticles (NPs).•We cover the most recent developments in this emerging field of “nano-impacts”.•We address direct detection of NPs and tagged NPs, and reaction with mediated NPs.•We propose future work on “nano-impacts” for detection and quantification of NPs.

There is an urgent demand from the areas of the environment and human heath to detect and to characterize nanoparticles (NPs) from the perspective of their physical properties and for fundamental understanding of the electrochemical interface at the nanoscale and associated reactions and kinetics. Recently, “nano-impact”-based electrochemical methods showed great promise for efficient detection and quantification of individual NPs properties, such as size, concentration, and aggregation/agglomeration state in liquid phase, and the study of the kinetics of individual NPs or chemical reactions at the nanoscale involving NPs as a mediator.This review covers recent developments in this important, emerging field, and summarizes the latest developments (from the year of 2012 to date) by addressing the following aspects of “nano-impacts”:•direct detection of NPs via electrochemical reduction and oxidation;•detection of surface-modified NPs; and,•reactions through mediated NPs.