Research Progress of Colorimetric Sensor Array Based on Nanomaterials

Colorimetric sensor array has attracted significant attention in sensor research in recent years due to its low cost, operational simplicity, and high selectivity. It enables efficient and accurate qualitative and quantitative detection of target analytes by generating distinct color changes through cross-reactive interactions between analytes and color-sensitive materials. Nanomaterials, owing to their tunable size-dependent properties and large specific surface areas, have emerged as ideal candidates for color-sensitive materials in construction of colorimetric sensor array. Therefore, a systematic review of nanomaterial-based colorimetric sensor array is highly significant. This paper summarized four major types of nanomaterial-based color-sensitive materials, including noble metal nanoparticles, carbon-based nanomaterials, quantum dots, and metal-organic framework materials. It further reviewed their practical applications in key domains such as food analysis, environmental monitoring, and biomedicine, and discussed future development trends in this field.