Advanced and Tailored Nanocomposites for Removing Pollutants from Contaminated Water or Soil Using the Simultaneous “Sense-and-Remove” Strategy: A Review

The increasing presence of toxic pollutants in aquatic and terrestrial environments has motivated the need for advanced materials capable of both rapidly detecting and efficiently removing these contaminants. In this review, we summarize recent progress in nanocomposites designed for the simultaneous sensing and remediation of water and soil contaminants, with particular emphasis on heavy metals. We discuss material design strategies, functional components, detection mechanisms, and adsorption performance, highlighting key structure–property relationships. Despite significant advances in sensing and remediation technologies, most existing reviews focus on these functions independently, providing limited discussion of multifunctional materials capable of integrating both processes within a single platform. Our review addresses this gap by critically examining recent developments in advanced nanocomposites for simultaneous pollutant detection and removal, emphasizing material design strategies, structure–property relationships, adsorption and sensing mechanisms, physicochemical characteristics, practical challenges, and future perspectives toward sustainable environmental remediation technologies.