Innovative Nanowire Structures for Sensors: Advanced Synthetic Nanowire Strategies

This systematic review presents a critical analysis of multifunctional nanowire sensors, with explicit selection criteria for included studies: we focus on peer-reviewed research, prioritizing studies on semiconductor (ZnO, TiO2, Si), metal (Ag, Au), and carbon-based (CNT) nanowires that report structural innovations, performance breakthroughs, or industrial scalability. We systematically analyze their structural characteristics, advanced fabrication techniques (hydrothermal synthesis, magnetron sputtering, PECVD), and application performance across biosensing, pressure sensing, and gas monitoring. Unlike existing reviews limited to single material classes or application scenarios, this work advances the field by integrating three novel perspectives: it delivers a cross-material comparison of nanowire structure–performance relationships, incorporates an analysis of fabrication strategy scalability for industrial translation, and synthesizes unresolved challenges and future directions. Nanowire sensors exhibit superior sensitivity, rapid response, and broad detection ranges compared to conventional sensors, with significant potential to advance healthcare, environmental monitoring, and flexible electronics.