To ensure the availability of clean water for humans into the future, efficient and cost-effective water purification technology will be required. The rapidly decreasing quality of water and the growing global demand for this scarce resource has driven the pursuit of high-performance purification materials, particularly for application as point-of-use devices. This review will introduce the main types of natural and artificial contaminants that are present in water and the challenges associated with their effective removal. The efficiency and performance of recently developed materials for water purification, with a focus on activated carbon, carbon nanotubes and graphene will be discussed. The recent advances in water purification using these materials is reviewed and their applicability as point-of-use water purification systems discussed.

The synthesis and the photophysical evaluation of a novel pH dependent lanthanide luminescent self-assembly in water between a cyclen based europium complex and a β-diketonate is described and its use as a luminescent sensor in displacement assays for anions such as acetate, bicarbonate and lactate, where the Eu(III) emission was quenched upon anion recognition.

The delayed lanthanide luminescence of the terbium [Tb(III)] diaryl-urea complex 1·Tb is significantly enhanced upon sensing of dihydrogenphosphate (H₂PO₄ ⁻) in CH₃CN, which occurs through multiple anion binding through hydrogen bonding interactions and potential metal ion coordination to Tb(III).