Nanomaterials in analytical atomic spectrometry

Nanomaterials have attracted considerable interest in analytical chemistry (e.g., sample pre-concentration, molecular probes, and biological and electrochemical sensing). However, their physico-chemical and surface properties are significantly affected by their size and morphology, and impurities. This article reviews the general applications of nanomaterials in analytical atomic spectrometry, including their use to improve the sensitivity and the selectivity of atomic spectrometric methods, to broaden the application range to biological-molecule detection, and to characterize and to determine nanomaterials themselves and their impurities. (c) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.