Hybrid and Functional Nanomaterials for Next-Generation Air Quality Monitoring
A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Nanoelectronics, Nanosensors and Devices".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 March 2026 | Viewed by 13
Special Issue Editor
Interests: electrospinning technology; nanocomposite materials for sensors; environment; air pollutants; gas; chemical vapors; VOCs; SVOCs; atmospheric mercury active and passive sensing strategies
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
This Special Issue aims to compile high-quality research on the design, synthesis, and application of hybrid and functional nanomaterials for the development of advanced gas sensors and air monitoring platforms. Its focus is on innovative materials and sensing technologies that enable the real-time, selective, and low-cost detection of airborne pollutants, including both regulated compounds (e.g., NO2, O3, CO, PM, VOCs) and emerging air contaminants that present health- and climate-related risks. These include NH₃ from agriculture and waste, GHGs such as methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) from livestock and fertilizers, UFPs, and BC. Emphasis is particularly placed on nanomaterial-based sensing strategies for reactive VOCs, which are key precursors of tropospheric ozone and secondary organic aerosols (SOAs), thus playing a critical role in air quality and climate interactions. We particularly welcome contributions exploring innovative nanomaterials for the detection of emerging indoor pollutants, including PFAS, plasticizers, flame retardants, and secondary reactive products, which are increasingly recognized as critical to human health, especially in confined or poorly ventilated environments. These compounds often pose challenges for detection due to their low concentrations, rapid reactivity, or toxicological complexity.
Submissions addressing innovative fabrication techniques, sensor surface engineering, real-world deployment under complex environmental conditions, or toxicological interactions of nanomaterials with target analytes are sought in particular.
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Nanostructured metal oxides, doped semiconductors, and heterojunctions;
- 1D, 2D and 3D materials and their functional derivatives;
- Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) and covalent-organic frameworks (COFs) as sensing layers;
- Plasmonic and quantum dot-based nanostructures for optical sensing;
- Perovskite nanomaterials for gas and humidity detection;
- Composite polymers, molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) and biomimetic gas sensors;
- Electrospun, printed, and bio-derived nanostructures;
- Hybrid photo- and electrochemical nanocomposites;
- Nanomaterials integrated with microelectronic or IoT systems;
- Smart sensing interfaces for wearable, portable or in situ applications;
- Sensor arrays, multivariate data analysis, and AI-enhanced signal processing;
- Real-world validation and long-term performance of nanomaterial-based sensors;
- Environmental toxicology and risk assessment of nanomaterials used in sensing;
- The integration of nanomaterial sensors into platforms for atmospheric modelling, digital twins, and early-warning systems.
Dr. Antonella Macagnano
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- hybrid nanomaterials
- functional nanomaterials
- gas-VOC sensors
- molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs)
- electrospun nanostructures
- nanostructured metal oxides
- photoelectrochemical sensors
- IoT-integrated sensors
- air pollutants of emerging concern
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