Manganese dioxide nanostructures: Design, synthesis and conceptualization for developing innovative sensors in reporting environmental risk factors

Abstract

With the gradual outbreak of environmental safety incidents worldwide, conception and development of high-property sensors for sensitive and accurate detection of environmental risk factors is of great urgency and importance to guarantee environmental security, people’s health and social’s stable development. MnO 2 nanomaterials , one subclass of transition metal oxidizes, demonstrate unique catalytic performance, excellent redox activity, high photo-absorption property, large loading/encapsulating efficiency and affluent surface functional groups, and thus provide a significant potential for constructing outstanding analytical platforms. In view of this, substantial efforts have been devoted to developing MnO 2 -based sensors for sensitive and reliable analysis of environmental risk factors including pesticide, heavy metal ion , anion, antibiotic, biotoxin, and foodborne pathogen . In this review, we summarize the recent progress on design and synthesis of MnO 2 with different morphologies, and development and application of MnO 2 -based sensors for environmental risk factors based on colorimetric, luminescent , electrochemical, photoelectrochemical, electrochemiluminescent and gas generation-initiated distance variation techniques, discuss the present challenges, and propose further advancements in the future to help better realize sensitive, practical and accurate detection of environmental contaminants . We hope this review will not only promote the rapid progress of MnO 2 -based sensors, but also drive the practical application for environmental risk factors credible sensing in complex matrix, safeguarding the environmental safety.