In recent decades, emerging contaminants are attracting increasing research interests. For instance, perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have contaminated the whole planet, and microplastics have secretly polluted all live cycles at a huge amount. Most of them are emerging so we do not yet know their contamination consequence. Even so, the current research, thanks to the advancements in the analysis, has sent us a strong warning that we should take action urgently, to address the risk assessments. Unfortunately, the analysis is left behind and the current analysis and characterization are not enough to address the problem. In the field of PFAS, the low-level analysis is still a challenge and the PFAS precursors are still hiding in the dark, due to the current analysis limits. Regarding microplastics, all current analysis suffers their limits again, because of the abundance of plastics, the kinetics and thermodynamics fate in the environment, and the unknown nanoplastics as well. Therefore, the advancement of analysis technologies is of great importance.
To face the above chances/challenges, in this Research Topic, we try to summarize those emerging advancements in terms of chemical sensing and emerging analysis. Specifically, with the development of nanotechnology, nanosensors have revolutionized the analysis of emerging environmental contaminants, with improved sensitivity, selectivity, and specificity. We want to take this chance to underpin some frontiers in chemistry, particularly in terms of emerging technologies to analyze emerging chemicals, items, and substances.
We welcome all the works on the recent advancements in analyzing environmental contaminants, including Original Research, Perspective, and Review. We are especially interested in the fields of:
• Advances in traditional analytical technology and sensing science based on electrochemistry, spectroscopy, chemometrics, etc.;
• Emerging analytical technologies using algorithms and machine learning, etc.;
• Nanosensors for detection of environmental contaminants;
• Detecting and quantifying environmental PFAS and microplastics;
• New emerging environmental contaminants;
• New sample preparation methods for analysis.
In recent decades, emerging contaminants are attracting increasing research interests. For instance, perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have contaminated the whole planet, and microplastics have secretly polluted all live cycles at a huge amount. Most of them are emerging so we do not yet know their contamination consequence. Even so, the current research, thanks to the advancements in the analysis, has sent us a strong warning that we should take action urgently, to address the risk assessments. Unfortunately, the analysis is left behind and the current analysis and characterization are not enough to address the problem. In the field of PFAS, the low-level analysis is still a challenge and the PFAS precursors are still hiding in the dark, due to the current analysis limits. Regarding microplastics, all current analysis suffers their limits again, because of the abundance of plastics, the kinetics and thermodynamics fate in the environment, and the unknown nanoplastics as well. Therefore, the advancement of analysis technologies is of great importance.
To face the above chances/challenges, in this Research Topic, we try to summarize those emerging advancements in terms of chemical sensing and emerging analysis. Specifically, with the development of nanotechnology, nanosensors have revolutionized the analysis of emerging environmental contaminants, with improved sensitivity, selectivity, and specificity. We want to take this chance to underpin some frontiers in chemistry, particularly in terms of emerging technologies to analyze emerging chemicals, items, and substances.
We welcome all the works on the recent advancements in analyzing environmental contaminants, including Original Research, Perspective, and Review. We are especially interested in the fields of:
• Advances in traditional analytical technology and sensing science based on electrochemistry, spectroscopy, chemometrics, etc.;
• Emerging analytical technologies using algorithms and machine learning, etc.;
• Nanosensors for detection of environmental contaminants;
• Detecting and quantifying environmental PFAS and microplastics;
• New emerging environmental contaminants;
• New sample preparation methods for analysis.