Archives April 2026

Nanomaterial-enhanced sensors for trace heavy metal ion detection: a review of electrochemical and optical methods

Micro and Nano Systems Letters

https://doi.org/10.1186/s40486-026-00256-6

Rafita Erli Adhawiyah and Jungchul Lee

Abstract:

Heavy metal ions (HMIs), such as mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As), and chromium (Cr), are a serious environmental issue due to their toxicity, bioaccumulation, and long-term persistence, making it necessary to develop sensitive and selective detection technologies. Laboratory-based methods, such as atomic absorption spectroscopy, provide high accuracy, but their point-of-need deployment is limited by their reliance on large equipment and complicated sample preparation. This review highlights the critical role of nanomaterial in sensing platforms in overcoming these limitations and advancements across electrochemical and optical detection techniques. The integration of nanomaterials-including carbon-based, metallic-based, silicon-based, and quantum dots-is shown to significantly enhance sensor performance through increased surface area, electron transfer efficiency, and plasmonic effects. Despite this progress, challenges such as matrix interference, ensuring signal reproducibility, and developing scalable fabrication methods remain. Future research will focus on developing hybrid, multiplexed, and antifouling sensor architectures integrated with digital technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT) to realize next-generation, ultra-sensitive HMIs monitoring platforms.

Fig:Electrochemical sensing techniques for HMIs detection.A. Voltammetric/Amperometric methods, B. Potentiometric method, and C. Conductometric method

congratulation to our new paper in Journal of photonics and nanostructure

MXene covered one dimensional plasmonic grating as analyte detector

Ali Hemmati, Soodabeh Nouri Jouybari, Saeed Mirzanejhad, Seyedeh Mehri Hamidi

Surface plasmon-based devices are widely used as highly sensitive optical sensing tools in diverse fields, including biological and chemical detection. The use of digital versatile discs (DVDs) as sensor substrates provides an attractive approach for developing surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensors due to their easy availability, low cost, and nanoscale smooth surface. A silver coating on DVDs acts as the active metal layer and provides favorable plasmonic properties, although its sensitivity and optical stability remain limited. In this study, a two-dimensional (2D) material, MXene, was applied as a reinforcing layer on the silver-coated DVD surface to improve plasmonic performance. A pronounced polarization-dependent behavior is observed in the reflection spectra after MXene integration. This polarization-dependent response is advantageous for the design of compact and portable SPR sensing systems. The dependence of the spectra on the refractive index of the surrounding medium and the incident beam angle was also investigated.