Development of metal based nanomaterials for optical and electrochemical sensing of food contaminants

Abstract

Multiple methods are available and can be utilized for the sensing purposes in this era. These methods work by measuring the signal in terms of a physically quantifiable unit. These measurements could be of the properties of, light; optical, current; electrical. On the basis of above discussion, it can be postulated that metal-based nanomaterials (NPs and MOFs) can be an excellent choice for the development of sensing platforms for food contaminants (e.g., heavy metals and pesticides). In spite of numerous studies on nanomaterials-based food contaminant sensor, the detailed studies on site-specific interactions and sensing mechanisms are found lacking. Therefore, it would be worthwhile to produce mechanism related data in order to identify the crucial steps in the creation of food contaminant sensors. Additionally, it would be extremely beneficial to use computational tools to validate the results of the wet lab experiments. Moreover, the efficient use of metal-based nanomaterials can be used for the development of more sensitive and specific sensing devices. The current work employed both colorimetric and electrochemical methods to investigate the fundamental characteristics of metal-based nanomaterials. As a result the development of alternative techniques that have a quick response, trustworthy specificity, and high sensitivity would be befitting to the society. Considering the aforementioned discussion, we therefore propose the exploration of metal based advanced materials (e.g., AuNPs, AgNPs, and MOFs) for the development of sensing platforms for food contaminants (heavy metals and pesticides). Thus far, ample numbers of studies have been reported to establish these advanced structures for the specific sensing of heavy metals and pesticides. However, exact and validated sensing mechanisms and detailed studies on site-specific interactions is found missing.