TY - JOUR A1 - Temgoua, Ranil C. T. A1 - Lisec, Jan A1 - Koch, Matthias T1 - Breaking down phenylurea herbicides: advanced electrochemical approaches for environmental degradation and remediation N2 - Phenylurea herbicides (PUHs) represent one of the most extensively used herbicide families in agriculture worldwide. While effective for weed control, their environmental persistence, bioaccumulation potential, and formation of toxic metabolites raise significant environmental concerns. This review examines current electrochemical strategies for degrading phenylurea herbicides, with special emphasis on electrochemical oxidation (EC), photoelectrochemical processes (PEC), electro-Fenton (ECF) and photo-electro-Fenton (PECF), with particular attention to the various reactor configurations and their operational mechanisms. A critical innovation of this review lies in its systematic parameter assessment framework, which categorizes nine key operational parameters across all electrochemical degradation methods: electrode material, catalyst type, cell configuration, radiation source, operating conditions (pH, current density, temperature), removal efficiency, mineralization rate, degradation kinetics, identified intermediates, and Energy consumption. For each technique, we highlight which parameters are essential, important, critical, or non� applicable, providing a structured framework to guide future experimental design. Selected case studies are presented to illustrate practical applications and performance outcomes. The review concludes with acritical analysis of current knowledge gaps and future research avenues that could enhance the sustainability, efficiency, and scalability of electrochemical remediation technologies. This work is intended as a comprehensive resource for environmental chemists, analytical scientists, and remediation engineers committed to addressing phenylurea herbicide contamination. KW - Mass Spectrometry KW - Phenylurea herbicides KW - Electrochemistry PY - 2026 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/D5EW00809C SN - 2053-1400 VL - 12 IS - 1 SP - 72 EP - 92 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) AN - OPUS4-64822 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Temgoua, Ranil C.T. A1 - Lisec, Jan A1 - Koch, Matthias T1 - Recent Advances in Electrochemical Analysis of Phenylurea Herbicides N2 - Phenylurea herbicides (PUHs) are extensively used in modern agriculture due to their high efficiency in weed control; however, their widespread application has led to persistent environmental contamination and growing public health concerns. Reliable, sensitive, and selective analytical methods are therefore essential for monitoring these compounds in environmental and food matrices. Although several recent reviews have addressed electrochemical sensors and biosensors for a broad range of pollutants, there is currently no dedicated review focusing exclusively on PUHs while integrating electrochemical sensors, biosensors, molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs), and electrochemical detection coupled with liquid chromatography (LC). This review provides a comprehensive and critical overview of electrochemical strategies developed for the analysis of PUHs. Core electroanalytical techniques, including cyclic voltammetry (CV), differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), square wave voltammetry (SWV), and chronoamperometry (CA), are discussed in terms of their fundamental principles, analytical roles, and suitability for mechanistic investigation, quantitative determination, and rapid screening. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) is also examined, particularly for its application in the characterization of electrode interfaces and in electrochemical biosensor development. Furthermore, the integration of electrochemical methods with mass spectrometry is highlighted as a powerful approach for elucidating redox mechanisms and identifying electrochemical transformation products. More than one hundred electrochemical sensors and biosensors reported between 1993 and 2025 are critically evaluated, with emphasis on electrode materials, surface modification strategies, detection mechanisms, analytical performance, and applicability to real samples. The advantages and limitations of electrochemical sensors, biosensors, and MIP-based platforms are systematically discussed in the context of sensitivity, selectivity, response time, and matrix effects. By synthesizing current advances and identifying remaining challenges, this review aims to provide clear guidance for future research and to support the development of robust, efficient, and application-oriented electrochemical methods for PUHs analysis. KW - Mass Spectrometry KW - Phenylurea herbicides KW - Electrochemistry PY - 2025 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.snr.2025.100431 SN - 2666-0539 VL - 11 SP - 1 EP - 67 PB - Elsevier B.V. AN - OPUS4-65286 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -