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Innovations in Environmental Analytical Chemistry: Transition from Conventional Techniques to Nano-enabled Sensing Technologies
Summary
This review paper looks at how tiny nanomaterials (like gold nanoparticles and graphene) are being used to build super-sensitive sensors that can detect harmful pollutants—including heavy metals, pesticides, PFAS "forever chemicals," and microplastics—faster and cheaper than older lab-based methods. This matters because these new sensors could allow real-time, on-the-spot testing of water, food, and air, helping catch contamination before it harms people, rather than waiting days or weeks for traditional lab results. The authors note there are still challenges to work out, like making sure these sensors are stable, accurate in real-
Environmental contamination from heavy metals, pesticides, pharmaceutical residues, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and microplastics poses grave risks to human health and ecosystems. Classical analytical methods, including flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS), gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), offer high accuracy but are constrained by high cost, laboratory dependence, lengthy sample preparation, and limited real-time capability. The emergence of nanotechnology has revolutionised environmental analytical chemistry by enabling sensors with detection limits several orders of magnitude below regulatory thresholds, rapid response times, and field-deployable formats. This review critically examines the transition from conventional environmental monitoring platforms to nano-enabled sensing technologies, with emphasis on gold nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes, graphene and its derivatives, quantum dots, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), and molecularly imprinted nanoparticles. Electrochemical, optical, and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) transduction principles are discussed, with a comparison of analytical performance metrics from peer-reviewed studies published between 2020 and 2025. Challenges, including nanomaterial stability, matrix interferences, regulatory acceptance, and environmental safety of the sensors themselves, are critically evaluated. Future directions towards integrated lab-on-chip platforms, artificial intelligence-assisted signal processing, and wearable environmental monitors are highlighted. The review concludes that nano-enabled sensing technologies are poised to become the gold standard for real-time, on-site environmental quality assessment.