Recent advances in colorimetric and photoluminescent fibrillar devices, photonic crystals and carbon dot-based sensors for mercury (II) ion detection

Abstract

The escalating environmental contamination with mercury has become a pressing issue, significantly impacting human beings and nature. For instance, small-scale gold mining has led to severe contamination in the Brazilian Yanomami village, highlighting the urgent need for action. The development of fibrillar-based sensors for mercury (II) ions represents an important issue to be considered in the point-of-care and simple detection of contaminants in water. Herein, this review discussed different colorimetric/photoluminescent-based prototypes for Hg²⁺ ions sensors and corresponding strategies to improve selectivity and sensitivity associated with the regeneration and reuse of the devices. Given these aspects, the electrospinning technique is promising for developing advanced mercury (II) ion sensors.

Keywords: Chemosensors; Electrospinning; Gold nanoclusters; Mercury; Silver nanoparticles.