Detection of chemical pollutants in water using gold nanoparticles as sensors: a review

Rapid and accurate evaluation of pollutant contamination in water is one of the key tasks of environmental monitoring. To make onsite assessment feasible, the analytical tools should be easy to operate, with minimal sample preparation needs. Gold nanoparticle (AuNP)-based sensors have the potential to detect toxins, heavy metals, and inorganic and organic pollutants in water rapidly with high sensitivity, and they are expected to play an increasingly important role in environmental monitoring. In this article, the synthesis, fabrication and functionalization of AuNPs are discussed, and the recent advances in the development and application of AuNP-based sensors for the determination of various pollutants contamination in water are reviewed.