Recent Advances in the Application of Bionanosensors for the Analysis of Heavy Metals in Aquatic Environments

Molecules. 2023 Dec 20;29(1):34. doi: 10.3390/molecules29010034.

Abstract

Heavy-metal ions (HMIs) as a pollutant, if not properly processed, used, and disposed of, will not only have an influence on the ecological environment but also pose significant health hazards to humans, making them a primary factor that endangers human health and harms the environment. Heavy metals come from a variety of sources, the most common of which are agriculture, industry, and sewerage. As a result, there is an urgent demand for portable, low-cost, and effective analytical tools. Bionanosensors have been rapidly developed in recent years due to their advantages of speed, mobility, and high sensitivity. To accomplish effective HMI pollution control, it is important not only to precisely pinpoint the source and content of pollution but also to perform real-time and speedy in situ detection of its composition. This study summarizes heavy-metal-ion (HMI) sensing research advances over the last five years (2019-2023), describing and analyzing major examples of electrochemical and optical bionanosensors for Hg2+, Cu2+, Pb2+, Cd2+, Cr6+, and Zn2+.

Keywords: bionanosensors; electrochemical bionanosensors; heavy metals; optical bionanosensors.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Agriculture
  • Environment
  • Environmental Pollutants*
  • Humans
  • Mercury*
  • Metals, Heavy*

Substances

  • Metals, Heavy
  • Mercury
  • Environmental Pollutants

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 21864020, 82160652), the Natural Science Foundation of Inner Mongolia (Grant Nos. 2019MS02014, 2018MS02012), the “Young Science and Technology Talents Program” (Leading Person) in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Colleges and Universities (Grant No. NJYT-19-A04), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Inner Mongolia Normal University, China, (Grant No. 2022JBZD013), the Key Project of Natural Science Foundation of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (No. 2023ZD21), and the Science and Technology Planning Project of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (No.2021GG0367).