In recent years, it has increased the number of works focused on the development of novel nanoparticlebased
sensors for mercury detection, mainly motivated by the need of low cost portable devices capable of
giving fast and reliable analytical response, thus contributing to the analytical decentralization. Methodologies
employing colorimetric, fluorometric, magnetic, and electrochemical output signals allowed
reaching detection limits within the pM and nM ranges. Most of these developments proved their suitability
in detecting and quantifying mercury (II) ions in synthetic solutions or spiked water samples.
However, the state of art in these technologies is still behind the standard methods of mercury quantification,
such as cold vapor atomic absorption spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma techniques,
in terms of reliability and sensitivity. This is mainly because the response of nanoparticle-based sensors
is highly affected by the sample matrix. The developed analytical nanosystems may fail in real samples
because of the negative incidence of the ionic strength and the presence of exchangeable ligands. The
aim of this review is to critically consider the recently published innovations in this area, and highlight
the needs to include