Recent advances in aptamer sensors for the detection of low-molecular-weight pollutants in the environment

This review summarizes advances in aptamer sensors for the detection of low-molecular-weight pollutants over the past five years. It is of great importance to assay the low-molecular-weight pollutants, which can cause serious harm to human health to a certain extent. In this review, we mainly discuss the application of aptamer sensors in the detection of low-molecular-weight pollutants in environmental samples and the discovery of aptamers, their sensing mechanisms, and classification of aptamer sensors. In addition, we also discuss future development directions for aptamer sensors, including the integration of AI tools with aptamer sensors, on-site detection, and multiplex detection. Finally, this review highlights the current challenges of aptamer sensors and their limitations in on-site detection and demonstrates the practicality and feasibility of multi-channel detection strategies.