Noble Metal–Based Nanosensors for Environmental Detection

Abstract In this chapter we give a comprehensive introduction to noble metal–based sensing platforms, including gold nanoparticles, silver nanoparticles, and their alloys and assembles in the application of environmental detection. Noble-metal nanoparticles have shown great potential applications in environmental sensing due to their unique physical and chemical properties, including good conductivity, easy functionalization with a range of ligands, large electronic field enhancement, fluorescence quenching and catalytic behavior. Colorimetric sensing toward heavy metal ions detection, fluorescence-based sensing toward biomolecules analysis, surface-enhanced Raman spectrum sensing platform and electrochemical sensors have been introduced in terms of working principles, and research progress through the classic example.