Photoinduced green synthesis of silver nanoparticles for colorimetric sensing of heavy metals in water monitoring and remediation

Document Type

Review

Publication Date

7-1-2026

Abstract

The rapid increase of global population and environmental pressures have led to the demand and an additional need for reliable clean water supplies. As an essential resource to survive in this world, the quality of the water must be improved for safer use. Detecting the contaminants like the toxic heavy metals in water and soil has been a critical ongoing issue for environmental monitoring, despite strict regulations in many countries. The metals such as mercury (Hg), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), arsenic (As), and cadmium (Cd) pose severe threats to ecosystems and human health. Nanoparticle-based colorimetric sensors have gained traction for heavy metal detection, particularly silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are exhibiting their superior efficacy to identify the ions like Hg2+ in the aqueous environments. These sensors rely on visible color shifts, quantifiable via UV-visible spectrophotometry. This review highlights the significance of green synthesis approaches to enhance AgNP properties and performance in colorimetric heavy metal ion sensing.

Keywords

Colorimetric detection, Environmental monitoring, Green synthesis, Heavy metals, Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), UV-visible spectrophotometry, Water contamination

Publication Title

Inorganic Chemistry Communications

ISSN

1387-7003

DOI

10.1016/j.inoche.2026.116762

Volume

189

Issue

P2

Publisher

Elsevier

Link to Full Text

Share

COinS