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Chemical Sensor Development Using Nanomaterials

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Nanotechnology and Applied Nanosciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 September 2026 | Viewed by 1819

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Bionanotechnology, Gachon University, Seongnam 13120, Republic of Korea
Interests: metal–organic frameworks for targeted drug delivery; narcotic matter

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Recent research on chemical sensors utilizing nanoparticles, nanosheets, nanowires, and graphene has significantly advanced the field of sensing technology, driven by the unique properties of these nanomaterials. These materials offer high surface-to-volume ratios, tunable physicochemical properties, and excellent electrical conductivity, making them ideal for detecting various chemical species with enhanced sensitivity, selectivity, and response times.

We invite authors to submit original research and review articles related to hybridized nanoparticles, nanorods, nanosheets, and other nano-platforms for chemical sensing applications.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Nanoparticle surface functionalization in chemical sensor design;
  • Nanowire surface functionalization in chemical sensor development;
  • Nanosheet surface functionalization and geometric deformation in chemical sensor design;
  • Arraying/patterning nanomaterials for higher sensitivity and selectivity;
  • Portable chemical sensor development;
  • Chemical sensor design for environmental and biomedical applications;
  • Chemical sensor development for toxic chemical detection;
  • Chemical sensor development for narcotic materials.

Prof. Dr. Sanghyo Kim
Prof. Dr. Dong Kee Yi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Applied Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • novel metal nanohybrids
  • nanoparticles
  • surface modification
  • graphene
  • nanosheet
  • nanowire
  • nanorods
  • toxic chemicals
  • arraying
  • patterning
  • chemical sensor

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

23 pages, 6488 KB  
Review
Recent Advances in Nanomaterial-Based and Colorimetric Technologies for Detecting Illicit Drugs and Environmental Toxins
by Md Imran Hossain, Dong Kee Yi and Sanghyo Kim
Appl. Sci. 2026, 16(2), 693; https://doi.org/10.3390/app16020693 - 9 Jan 2026
Viewed by 1485
Abstract
The global surge in illicit drug use has intensified the demand for rapid, portable, and reliable on-site detection technologies. Traditional analytical approaches, such as laboratory-based instrumentation and biological sample assays, while accurate, are often constrained by high costs, long processing times, and the [...] Read more.
The global surge in illicit drug use has intensified the demand for rapid, portable, and reliable on-site detection technologies. Traditional analytical approaches, such as laboratory-based instrumentation and biological sample assays, while accurate, are often constrained by high costs, long processing times, and the need for specialized equipment, rendering them unsuitable for field applications. This review highlights recent progress in chemical sensor technologies designed for the detection of widely misused drugs such as methamphetamine, cocaine, fentanyl, and heroin. Parallel advancements in the detection of environmental contaminants, particularly concerning micro- and nanoplastics, are also discussed. Emerging sensing platforms employing nanoparticle functionalization, graphene nanosheets, MXenes, metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), and supramolecular colorimetric assays demonstrate significant potential for achieving high sensitivity, selectivity, and operational simplicity in portable formats. These innovations enable real-time detection with minimal user expertise, thereby advancing applications in forensic analysis, environmental monitoring, and public health protection. The review also addresses current limitations related to detection accuracy, reagent stability, and matrix interferences and proposes future directions for optimizing sensor robustness and performance under diverse field conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemical Sensor Development Using Nanomaterials)
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