Silver nanoparticles for separation and preconcentration processes

•Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are important in analytical applications.•AgNPs are used as nanoadsorbents in preconcentration and clean-up processes.•AgNPs can be applied to remove many organic, gaseous and trace-metal species.

There is a great deal of interest in the application of nanomaterials, nanotechnology and nanocrystalline inorganics, such as silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), whose intriguing physical and chemical properties have been topics of many scientific research projects. Notable for their extremely small size, AgNPs have been seen in wide-ranging fields, such as optical probes, optical sensors, and plasmonic and biomedical applications. Since AgNPs show different properties, such as surface-plasmon resonance, large surface area, catalysis, and quantum size effects, they can be used for bioassays based on electrochemistry, silver-enhanced fluorescence, surface-enhanced Raman scattering, colorimetry and chemiluminescence. In this review, we highlight the potential of AgNPs as nanoadsorbents for the analytical processes of extraction, separation and sample pretreatment.