Combining chemometrics and paper-based analytical devices for sensing: An overview

Paper-based Analytical Devices (PADs) have changed the paradigm of chemical sensor development in point-of-need detection and diagnostics. Instead of the univariate method, the potentiality to extract a large quantity of information based on chemometrics techniques can enhance the well-known potential of the PADs to detect multiple analytes or discriminate and classify samples. The proposed article reviews recent progress on PADs using different analytical techniques to extract information (Colorimetric, Electrochemical, SERS, and Fluorescence) and their combination with chemometrics, demonstrating their combined advantages to generate powerful analytical platforms. The pioneering studies that significantly impacted the field of paper-based sensing are critically reviewed, along with future challenges to overcome.