Progress in the materials for optical detection of arsenic in water

Arsenic poisoning of water resources has been of universal concern because of its serious health impact and on the ecosystem. As such, several efforts have been made on promising optical detection of arsenic utilizing various transduction platforms. However, the substantial role of sensor material cannot be ignored in the design of cost-effective, environment-friendly, and user acceptable sensor systems for on-site/in-field application. The goal is to employ sensor materials that enable detection of arsenic with high sensitivity, selectivity, reproducibility, and stability. In the present review, we have covered and critically deliberated upon the progress made over 2013–2018 in sensor materials, including colorimetric dyes, organic fluorophores, nanostructures (metal, carbon, semiconductor, metal oxides, etc.), and bioreceptors (aptamers, peptides, whole cells, etc.), for optical detection of arsenic in water. The possible integration of microfluidics/paper fluidics and imaging with existing optical sensor materials to realize a user friendly system for varied settings is also discussed.