Multifunctional nanomaterials and nanocomposites for sensing and monitoring of environmentally hazardous heavy metal contaminants

Abstract

The applications of conventional sensors are limited by the long response time, high cost, large detection limit, low sensitivity, complicated usage and low selectivity. These sensors are nowadays replaced by Nanocomposite-based modalities and nanomaterials which are known for their high selectivity and physical and chemical properties. These nanosensors effectively detect heavy metal contaminants in the environment as the discharge of heavy metals into natural water as a result of human activity has become a global epidemic. Exposure to these toxic metals might induce many health-related complications, including kidney failure, brain injury, immune disorders, muscle paleness, cardiac damage, nervous system impairment and limb paralysis. Therefore, designing and developing novel sensing systems for the detection and recognition of these harmful metals in various environmental matrices, particularly water, is of extremely important. Emerging nanotechnological approaches in the past two decades have played a key role in overcoming environmentally-related problems. Nanomaterial-based fabrication of chemical nanosensors has widely been applied as a powerful analytical tool for sensing heavy metals. Portability, high sensitivity, on-site detection capability, better device performance and selectivity are all advantages of these nanosensors. The detection and selectivity have been improved using molecular recognition probes for selective binding on different nanostructures. This study aims to evaluate the sensing properties of various nanomaterials such as metal-organic frameworks, fluorescent materials, metal-based nanoparticles, carbon-based nanomaterials and quantum dots and graphene-based nanomaterials and quantum dots for heavy metal ions recognition. All these nano-architectures are frequently served as effective fluorescence probes to directly (or by modification with some large or small biomolecules) sense heavy metal ions for improved selectivity. However, efforts are still needed for the simultaneous designing of multiple metal ion-based detection systems, exclusively in colorimetric or optical fluorescence nanosensors for heavy metal cations.

Keywords: Carbon quantum dots; Environmental contaminants; Fluorescent sensors; Lanthanide metal ions; Nanocomposite-based sensors; Toxic metals; Water analysis and monitoring.