abstract
- Coupled techniques provide a robust analytical complementarity assessment in addition to those performed by individual characterization methods by compensating their limitations and enhancing their favorable features. For instance, the Raman atomic force microscopy (Raman-AFM) allows the quantification of chemical and physical properties of samples, while the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC¿MS) facilities the recognition of organic compounds in complex mixtures. On the other hand, the gel permeation chromatography-mass spectrometry (GPC-MS) constitutes a vigorous technique capable of clarifying structures of low molecular mass compounds. The scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray (SEM¿EDX) provides the characterization of surface morphology of samples together with compositional data, while the ultraviolet¿visible cyclic voltammetry (UV¿Vis-CV) technique offers data describing the kinetics and dynamics of electrochemical and vibrational processes at the electrode¿s surfaces. This chapter presents the historical background, mechanism of operation, advantages and disadvantages, as well as the applications for each hybrid technique in biosensing domain. In addition, a troubleshooting section is provided with a description of the most common errors encountered during the utilization of each coupled method, accompanied with possible causes and solutions.