Nanomaterials in Air Pollution Trace Detection

Abstract

Air pollution is responsible for 6.5 million deaths per year, according to the World Health Organization. Changes in global political leadership have made it unclear which pathway relating to environmental protection will be adopted from now on. In this scenario, analytical methods that provide real-time, accurate, and reliable data on urban air pollutant concentrations with high-spatial and spectral resolution are an essential requirement to support public awareness and establish policy priorities for air quality in polluted areas. Nanomaterial-based sensors have been applied in gaseous compound monitoring with remarkable advantages, such as enhanced sensitivity, selectivity, and reproducibility, leading to the improvement of limitations in detections and allowing adequate miniaturization of sensing platforms. In this chapter, the usage of nanostructured materials tailored to air pollution detection will be discussed.