Functionalized Inorganic Nanoparticles for Magnetic Separation and SERS Detection of Water Pollutants

Inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) have emerged in the last decades as key materials for a number of technologies. In particular, noble metal (Ag, Au) and iron oxide NPs have revealed important applications due to their plasmonic and magnetic properties, respectively. Among these applications, this review provides, on one hand, an overview on the use of colloidal metal NPs in surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) chemical analysis and, on the other hand, the application of iron oxides as a new class of nanosorbents for water pollutants. These distinct types of NPs are the main building blocks to produce magneto-plasmonic nanostructures, that comprise both functionalities, and whose morphologies and surface functionalities are controlled using chemical methodologies. Thus, this review presents an overall picture of these hybrid nanostructures that, albeit less explored than the corresponding single phased materials, show an enormous potential for fundamental and applied studies. In particular, there will be a focus on important aspects for the application of magneto-plasmonic nanostructures in water analysis.