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Organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) are thin-film devices operated in aqueous and biological environments for sensing chemicals and biomolecules. However, most sensor configurations involve introducing the target biomolecule directly in the OECT device. This has drawbacks because it may not be possible to have an electrolyte compatible with the target biomolecule or an environment optimal for the OECT. Here, we demonstrate a general and modular approach to building electrochemical sensors by coupling OECTs electronically with either an enzymatic fuel cell (EFC) or microbial fuel cell (MFC). We demonstrate that this modular approach can amplify currents by three orders of magnitude and enhance the signal-to-noise ratio. We also show that the power generated by the fuel cell can help tune the sensor’s response for different applications. This work demonstrates a simple and versatile approach for amplifying currents from MFCs and EFCs useful for the development of bioelectronic sensors. 

Monitoring reactive intermediates can provide vital information in the study of synthetic reaction mechanisms, enabling the design of new catalysts and methods. Many synthetic transformations are centred on the alteration of oxidation states, but these redox processes frequently pass through intermediates with short life-times, making their study challenging. A variety of electroanalytical tools can be utilised to investigate these redox-active intermediates: from voltammetry to in situ spectroelectrochemistry and scanning electrochemical microscopy. This perspective provides an overview of these tools, with examples of both electrochemically-initiated processes and monitoring redox-active intermediates formed chemically in solution. The article is designed to introduce synthetic organic and organometallic chemists to electroanalytical techniques and their use in probing key mechanistic questions. 

Reductive electrosynthesis has faced long-standing challenges in applications to complex organic substrates at scale. Here, we show how decades of research in lithium-ion battery materials, electrolytes, and additives can serve as an inspiration for achieving practically scalable reductive electrosynthetic conditions for the Birch reduction. Specifically, we demonstrate that using a sacrificial anode material (magnesium or aluminum), combined with a cheap, nontoxic, and water-soluble proton source (dimethylurea), and an overcharge protectant inspired by battery technology [tris(pyrrolidino)phosphoramide] can allow for multigram-scale synthesis of pharmaceutically relevant building blocks. We show how these conditions have a very high level of functional-group tolerance relative to classical electrochemical and chemical dissolving-metal reductions. Finally, we demonstrate that the same electrochemical conditions can be applied to other dissolving metal–type reductive transformations, including McMurry couplings, reductive ketone deoxygenations, and epoxide openings.