This Thematic Series is focused on the many environmental applications of nanoparticles, ranging from biosensing to gas detection, to the removal of pollutants from water and even for the new generation of solar cells. Several works highlight the importance of gold nanoparticles for the development of biosensing platforms and for sensors based on surface-enhanced Raman scattering. New, low cost methods for creating thin films presented herein are expected to provide enhanced efficiency in solar cells.

These applications are changing our world, little by little, allowing for more compact, less expensive and lighter sensing devices. These, together with more efficient batteries and supercapacitors connected in a smart way to the network, will be part of the "internet of things", allowing ubiquitous environmental and health monitoring with immediate access to this critical information from anywhere in the world.