Colorimetric detection of iron ions (III) based on the highly sensitive plasmonic response of the N-acetyl-l-cysteine-stabilized silver nanoparticles

We report here a facile colorimetric sensor based on the N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NALC)-stabilized Ag nanoparticles (NALC–Ag NPs) for detection of Fe³⁺ ions in aqueous solution. The Ag NPs with an average diameter of 6.55 ± 1.0 nm are successfully synthesized through a simple method using sodium borohydride as reducing agent and N-acetyl-l-cysteine as protecting ligand. The synthesized silver nanoparticles show a strong surface plasmon resonance (SPR) around 400 nm and the SPR intensity decreases with the increasing of Fe³⁺ concentration in aqueous solution. Based on the linear relationship between SPR intensity and concentration of Fe³⁺ ions, the as-synthesized water-soluble silver nanoparticles can be used for the sensitive and selective detection of Fe³⁺ ions in water with a linear range from 80 nM to 80 μM and a detection limit of 80 nM. On the basis of the experimental results, a new detection mechanism of oxidation–reduction reaction between Ag NPs and Fe³⁺ ions is proposed, which is different from previously reported mechanisms. Moreover, the NALC–Ag NPs could be applied to the detection of Fe³⁺ ions in real environmental water samples.     

Polythiophene-coated Fe3O4 nanoparticles as a selective adsorbent for magnetic solid-phase extraction of silver(I), gold(III), copper(II) and palladium(II)

We have developed a fast method for sensitive extraction and determination of the metal ions silver(I), gold(III), copper(II) and palladium(II). Fe₃O₄ magnetic nanoparticles were modified with polythiophene and used for extraction the metal ions without a chelating agent. Following extraction, the ions were determined by flow injection inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. The influence of sample pH, type and volume of eluent, amount of adsorbent, sample volume and time of adsorption and desorption were optimized. Under the optimum conditions, the calibration plots are linear in the 0.75 to 100 μg L^?1 concentration range (R²?>?0.998), limits of detection in the range from 0.2 to 2.0 μg L^?1, and enhancement factors in the range from 70 to 129. Precisions, expressed as relative standard deviations, are lower than 4.2 %. The applicability of the method was demonstrated by the successful analysis of tap water, mineral water, and river water.

High selective colorimetric detection of Cd<Superscript>2+</Superscript> ions using cysteamine functionalized gold nanoparticles with cross-linked DL-glyceraldehyde

This paper reports an ingenious colorimetric sensor probe for the detection of Cd²⁺ ions using cysteamine functionalized gold nanoparticles cross-linked with DL-glyceraldehyde (DL-G-CA-Au NPs). Rapid aggregation in DL-G-CA-Au NPs was observed by adding Cd²⁺ ions at PBS buffer pH 7.0, which results in an immediate color change of the solution from red to blue. A red-shift in the wavelength of absorption peak was measured from 520 to 736 nm using UV–visible spectroscopy. The surface functionalization and aggregation of Au NPs were also characterized by recoding FI-IR and DSL data. The colorimetric probe was analyzed in the concentration of Cd²⁺ ions ranging from 0.05 to 500 μM, and a good linearity was observed towards the lower concentration levels with a coefficient of correlation R ² = 0.9862. The limit of detection was found to be 21 nM, which best describes its superior performance over other reported colorimetric probes. Furthermore, the performance of the probe was not influenced by other metal ions, and the stability of DL-G-CA-Au NPs was maintained even after 30 days. The proposed method was successfully applied to various water samples collected from the environment, and an accuracy ≥ 98% was achieved.     

Synthesis of Au13(glutathionato)8@β-cyclodextrin nanoclusters and their use as a fluorescent probe for silver ions

Heating and drying of the mixture of glutathione-etched gold nanoparticles (Au-SG) and β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) results in the formation of β-CD-capped and glutathionate-protected Au₁₃ nanoclusters (Au₁₃(SG)₈@β-CD). Their particle size, composition, and number of gold atoms and the capping molecules were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, fluorescence, UV–vis absorption, FT-IR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. The fluorescence of these nanoclusters is specifically enhanced by the addition of Ag(I) ions to the aqueous solution. This effect was exploited to develop a selective and sensitive method for the fluorometric determination of Ag(I) in water in the concentration range between 0.5 nM and 0.1 μM, with a detection limit at 0.3 nM (at a signal-to-noise ratio of 3). Graphical Abstract

β-CD-capped Au₁₃ nanoclusters has been synthesized by heating and drying the mixture of glutathione-etched gold nanoparticles and β-CD. A simple, sensitive and selective FL sensing method for Ag⁺ in environmental water has developed using the Au nanoclusters.     

A sensitive and selective nitrite sensor based on a glassy carbon electrode modified with gold nanoparticles and sulfonated graphene

We describe a highly sensitive and selective amperometric sensor for the determination of nitrite. A glassy carbon electrode was modified with a composite made from gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and sulfonated graphene (SG). The modified electrode displays excellent electrocatalytic activity in terms of nitrite oxidation by giving much higher peak currents (at even lower oxidation overpotential) than those found for the bare electrode, the AuNPs-modified electrode, and the SG-modified electrode. The sensor has a linear response in the 10 μM to 3.96 mM concentration range, a very good detection sensitivity (45.44 μA mM^?1), and a lower detection limit of 0.2 μM of nitrite. Most common ions and many environmental organic pollutants do not interfere. The sensor was successfully applied to the determination of nitrite in water samples, and the results were found to be consistent with the values obtained by spectrophotometry.

Highly selective piezoelectric sensor for lead(II) based on the lead-catalyzed release of gold nanoparticles from a self-assembled nanosurface

A novel quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) sensor has been developed for highly selective and sensitive detection of Pb²⁺ by exploiting the catalytic effect of Pb²⁺ ions on the leaching of gold nanoparticles from the surface of a QCM sensor. The use of self-assembled gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) strongly enlarges the size of the interface and thus amplifies the analytical response resulting from the loss of mass. This results in a very low detection limit for Pb²⁺ (30 nM). The high selectivity is demonstrated by studying the effect of potentially interfering ions both in the absence and presence of Pb²⁺ ions. This simple and well reproducible sensor was applied to the determination of lead in the spiked drinking water. This work provides a novel strategy for fabricating QCM sensors towards Pb²⁺ in real samples. Figure

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Electroanalytical detection of heavy metals using metallophthalocyanine and silica-coated iron oxide composites

The monitoring of heavy metal ions particularly in water is important in safeguarding the environment and humans from the toxic effects these metal ions pose. This work describes the synthesis, characterization and electrocatalytic properties of silica-coated iron oxide nanoparticles (Si-NP) in the presence of cobalt or iron phthalocyanines (MPc) for heavy metal (HM) detection. TEM, XRD, XPS and VSM confirmed the successful synthesis of Si-NP with an average diameter of 12.07 nm. The electrochemical sensing properties of MPc/Si-NP-modified glassy carbon electrodes (GCE) were assessed for HM detection. Differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry (DPASV) studies indicated detection limits that compared positively with the literature. The FePc/Si-NP composite showed the lowest detection limits (S/N?=?3) of 3.66, 11.56, 2.28, 4.54 μg L^?1 for arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg) and lead (Pb), respectively. A linear working range of 10–100 μg L^?1 was obtained for As³⁺, Hg²⁺ and Pb²⁺ ions while it was between 20 and 100 μg L^?1 for Cd²⁺ ions. Both composites displayed reproducible signals for the simultaneous detection of the HMs for ten consecutive scans. These composites offer a cheap and simplistic sensing device for HM analysis.     

A new lawsone azo-dye for optical sensing of Fe3+ and Cu2+ and their DFT study

A new lawsone-based azo-dye 2-hydroxy-3-((pyridin-2-ylmethyl)diazenyl)naphthalene-1,4-dione (1) was synthesized and applied for sensing of metal ions. Receptor 1 showed selective fluorescent and colorimetric response for the detection of Cu²⁺ and Fe³⁺ over other tested metal ions. The fluorescence intensity of 1 was significantly quenched allowing detection of Fe³⁺ and Cu²⁺ down to 0.61 and 6.06 μM, respectively. The binding has been established by fluorescence spectroscopic method. Receptor 1 provided a 1?:?1 binding scaffold for recognition of Fe³⁺ and Cu²⁺ ions with the association constant of 3.33 × 10⁶ and 3.33 × 10⁵ M^?1, respectively. The B3LYP/6-31G/LANL2DZ method was employed for the optimization of 1 and 1·Fe³⁺ and 1·Cu²⁺.     

Unfolding the Role of Building Units of MOFs with Mechanistic Insight Towards Selective Metal Ions Detection in Water**

The potential emergence of fluorescence-based techniques has propelled research towards developing probes that can sense trace metal ions specifically. Although luminescent metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are well suited for this application, the role of building blocks towards detection is not fully understood. In this work, a systematic screening by varying number of Lewis basic (pyridyl-N atoms) sites is carried out in a series of isostructural, robust UiO-67 MOFs, and targeting a model metal ion-Fe³⁺. All the three fluorescent MOFs are seen to present quenching response towards Fe³⁺ ions in water. However, UiO-67@N exhibits highly selective and sensitive response, whereas emission of both UiO-67 and UiO-67@NN is quenched by several metal ions. Detailed experimental and theoretical mechanistic investigation is carried out in addition to demonstration of UiO-67@N being able to sense trace amount of Fe³⁺ ions in synthetic biological water sample. Further, UiO-67@N based mixed-matrix membrane (MMM) has been prepared and employed to mimic the real time Fe³⁺ ions detection in water.     

Fe(III) Ion‐Selective Membrane Electrode Based on 4‐Amino‐6‐methyl‐3‐methylmercapto‐1,2,4‐triazin‐5‐one

Abstract

An original highly selective and sensitive PVC membrane sensor, working as a Fe(III) ion selective electrode and using 4‐amino‐6‐methyl‐3‐methylmercapto‐1,2,4‐triazin‐5‐one (AMMTO) as an ionophore, has been developed. This cetain sensor demonstrated the following performance; a linear dynamic range between 1.0×10^?6 and 1.0×10^?1 M with a near Nernstian slope of 19.4±0.5 mV per decade; a detection limit of 6.8×10^?7 M; characteristically, the best performance was obtained with a membrane composition of 30% poly(vinyl chloride), 65.5% nitrophenyl octyl ether, 2% sodium tetraphenyl borate and 2.5% AMMTO. Furthermore, the potentiometric response of the developed electrode is independent of the solution pH in the range of 2.2–4.8. The sensor possesses the advantages of short conditioning time, fast response time (<15 s) and, especially, great selectivity towards transition and heavy metal ions and some mono, di‐ and trivalent cations. The electrode can be used for at least 9 weeks without any considerable potential divergence. It was effectively used as an indicator electrode in the potentiometric titration of Fe(III) ions with EDTA and the direct determination of Fe³⁺ in different water samples.     

Enhanced Performance of CNT‐doped Imine Based Receptors as Fe(III) Sensor Using Potentiometry and Voltammetry

A highly sensitive and selective potentiometric and voltammteric assay for the detection of Fe³⁺ using (E)‐3‐((2‐(2‐(2‐aminoethylamino) ethylamino) ethylimino)methyl)‐4H‐chromen‐4‐one (IFE(III)) ionophore was developed. To demonstrate the ion‐to‐electron transfer ability of MWCNT, these were incorporated in the ion‐selective membrane and response characteristics of Fe³⁺ electrode was compared with those of the traditional ion selective electrode. The electrode showed an improved Nernstian slope, lower detection limit, response time of less than 5 s and working in a pH range of 3.0 to 8.0. Differential pulse voltammetric studies were performed for IFE(III)‐Fe³⁺ complex in DMSO solvent medium at glassy carbon (GC) electrode. A linear relationship between the cathodic peak current and concentration of Fe³⁺ was observed in the range of 1.6×10^?5 to 4.4×10^?5 mol/L with a detection limit of 5.2×10^?8 mol/L. The electrode shows remarkable selectivity for Fe³⁺ ions over alkali, alkaline earth, transition and heavy metal ions. The optimized electrode was successfully applied for the determination of Fe³⁺ ion in different real‐life samples using potentiometric technique. Theoretical calculations were used to support the complexation behavior of Fe³⁺ with IFE(III).     

Visual detection of silver(I) ions by a chromogenic reaction catalyzed by gold nanoparticles

We report on a novel method for visual detection silver(I) ion. It is based on the finding that Ag(I) ions are rapidly reduced by hydroquinone to form a shell of silver on the surface of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) which act as catalysts for this reaction. This leads to a color change from red to yellow which can be seen with bare eyes. This scheme is sensitive and highly specific for Ag(I) ions. The detection limits are 5 μM for visual inspection and 1 μM for photometric readout, respectively. The method was successfully applied to the determination of Ag(I) ions in spiked lake water and soil.

Cadmium determination based on silver nanoparticles modified with 1,13-bis(8-quinolyl)-1,4,7,10,13-pentaoxatridecane

We propose a simple, fast and sensitive colorimetric method for the determination of Cd²⁺ using 1,13-bis(8-quinolyl)-1,4,7,10,13-pentaoxatridecane modified silver nanoparticles. The addition of Cd²⁺ causes the aggregation of AgNPs, while other ions do not have such effect. As a result, the color of the solution changes from yellow to red which can be detected using naked eye or by UV–Vis spectroscopy. The aggregation of the AgNPs is confirmed by UV–Vis and transmission electron microscopy. Limit of detection is found to be 0.016 µM for Cd²⁺ ions. A linear calibration plot is correlated to the concentration of cadmium ion in the 0.5–6.0 μM range with the naked-eye detection limit of 2.0 µM. The method was successfully applied to determine Cd²⁺ in water and urine samples and gave recoveries that ranged from 93.3 to 98.6%.     

Silver modified magnetic carbon nanotubes composite as a selective solid phase extractor for preconcentration and determination of trace mercury ions in water solution

A magnetic composite of silver/iron oxides/carbon nanotubes (Ag/Fe₃O₄/CNTs) was synthesized and used as an adsorbent for the preconcentration of mercury ions in water solutions at room temperature (25°C) in this study. The silver nanoparticles were supported on the magnetic CNTs. The modification enabled the composite had not only a high adsorption capacity for mercury ions (Hg²⁺) but also the magnetic isolation properties. A fast, sensitive, and simple method was successfully developed for the preconcentration and determination of trace amount of Hg²⁺ in water using the synthesized nanocomposite as adsorbent. The mercury concentration was determined by an atomic fluorescence spectrometer (AFS). The experimental conditions such as pH value, extraction temperature, extraction time, sample volume, eluent composition and concentration, sorbent amount, and coexisting ions were investigated for the optimization. A 500 mL of sample volume resulted in a preconcentration factor of 125. When a 200 mL of sample was employed, the limit of detection for Hg²⁺ was as low as 0.03 ng mL^?1with relative standard deviation of 4.4% at 0.1 ng mL^?1 (n = 7). The ease of synthesis and separation, the good adsorption capacity, and the satisfactory recovery will possibly make the composite an attractive adsorbent for the preconcentration of ultratrace Hg²⁺ in waters.     

Designing and fabrication of a novel gold nanocomposite structure: application in electrochemical sensing of bisphenol A

In this article, a highly sensitive electrochemical sensor is introduced for direct electro-oxidation of bisphenol A (BPA). The novel nanocomposite was prepared based on multi-walled carbon nanotube/thiol functionalised magnetic nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄-SH) as an immobilisation platform and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) as an amplifying electrochemical signal. The chemisorbed AuNPs exhibited excellent electrochemical activity for the detection of BPA. Some analysing techniques such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive x-ray diffraction exposed the formation of nanocomposite. Under optimum conditions (pH 9), the sensor showed a linear range between 0.002–240 μM, with high sensitivity (0.25 μA μM^?1) along with low detection limit (6.73 × 10^?10 M). Moreover, nanocomposites could efficiently decrease the effect of interfering agents and remarkably enhance the utility of sensor at detection of BPA in some real samples.     

Gold Nanoparticles Modified Titania Nanotube Arrays for Amperometric Determination of Ascorbic Acid

Development and use of highly ordered, vertically aligned TiO₂ nanotube arrays modified with gold nanoparticles for the selective detection of ascorbic acid (AA) in the presence of uric acid and glucose are reported here. Gold nanoparticles were electrodeposited on the Nanotube arrays by CV. The sensor was characterized using SEM, EDS, CV, and EIS. It showed very good performance with a sensitivity of 46.8 μA mM^?1 cm^?2, response time below 2 seconds and linearity in the range of 1 μM to 5 mM with a detection limit of 0.1 μM and was tested for the AA concentration in pharmaceutical preparations.     

Optimized solid phase extraction based on diethyldithiocarbamate-coated Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles followed by ICP-OES for determination of Cd(II) and Ni(II) in rice and water samples

In the present study, application of Fe₃O₄ magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) coated with diethyldithiocarbamate as a solid-phase sorbent for extraction of trace amounts of cadmium (Cd²⁺) and nickel (Ni²⁺) ions by the aid of ultrasound was investigated. The analytes were determined by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy. Fe₃O₄ MNPs were prepared by solvothermal method and characterized with dynamic light scattering, scanning electron microscope and X-ray diffraction. Response surface methodology was used for optimization of the extraction process and modeling the data. The optimal conditions obtained were as follows: chelating agent, 1.2 g L^?1; pH, 6.13; sonication time, 13 min and Fe₃O₄ MNPs, 10.3 mg. The calibration curves were linear over the concentration range of 1–1,000 μg L^?1 for Cd²⁺ and 2.5–1,000 for Ni²⁺ with the determination coefficients (R ²) of 0.9997 and 0.9995, respectively. The limits of detection were 0.27 μg L^?1 for Cd²⁺ and 0.76 μg L^?1 for Ni²⁺. The relative standard deviations (n = 7, C = 200 μg L^?1) for determination of Cd²⁺ and Ni²⁺ were 2.0 and 2.7 %, respectively. The relative recoveries of the analytes from tap, river and lagoon waters and rice samples at the spiking level of 10 μg L^?1 were obtained in the range of 95–105 %.     

Fluorescent oligomer as a chemosensor for the label-free detection of Fe and dopamine with selectivity and sensitivity

In this article, a sensitive and selective turn-off fluorescence chemosensor, Tyloxapol (one kind of water soluble oligomer), was developed for the label-free detection of Fe³⁺ ions in aqueous solution. Fluorescence (FL) experiments demonstrated that Tyloxapol was a sensitive and selective fluorescence sensor for the detection of Fe³⁺ directly in water over a wide range of metal cations including Na⁺, K⁺, Ag⁺, Hg²⁺, Cd²⁺, Co²⁺, Cu²⁺, Cr³⁺, Mn²⁺, Ba²⁺, Zn²⁺, Ni²⁺, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, and Pb²⁺. Moreover, the fluorescence intensity of Tyloxapol has shown a linear response to Fe³⁺ in the concentration range of 0–100 μmol L⁻¹ with a detection limit of 2.2 μmol L⁻¹ in aqueous solution. Next, based on a competition mechanism, another turn-on sensing application of the Tyloxapol/Fe³⁺ platform to probe dopamine (DA) against various other biological molecules such as other neurotransmitters or amino acids (norepinephrine bitartrate, acetylcholine chloride, alanine, valine, phenylalanine, tyrosine, leucine, glycine, histidine) were also investigated. It is expected that our strategy may offer a new approach for developing simple, cost-effective, rapid and sensitive sensors in biological and environmental applications.     

Carbon Dots Prepared by Hydrothermal Treatment of Dopamine as an Effective Fluorescent Sensing Platform for the Label‐Free Detection of Iron(III) Ions and Dopamine

A facile, economic and green one‐step hydrothermal synthesis route using dopamine as source towards photoluminescent carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) is proposed. The as‐prepared CNPs have an average size about 3.8 nm. The emission spectra of the CNPs are broad, ranging from approximately 380 (purple) to approximately 525 nm (green), depending on the excitation wavelengths. Due to the favorable optical properties, the CNPs can readily enter into A549 cells and has been used for multicolor biolabeling and bioimaging. Most importantly, the as‐prepared CNPs contain distinctive catechol groups on their surfaces. Due to the special response of catechol groups to Fe³⁺ ions, we further demonstrate that such wholly new CNPs can serve as a very effective fluorescent sensing platform for label‐free sensitive and selective detection of Fe³⁺ ions and dopamine with a detection limit as low as 0.32 μM and 68 nM , respectively. The new “mix‐and‐detect” strategy is simple, green, and exhibits high sensitivity and selectivity. The present method was also applied to the determination of Fe³⁺ ions in real water samples and dopamine in human urine and serum samples successfully.     

A fluorescent sensor based on quinazoline ketone derivatives for selectivity of Fe3+

In this work, we provided a fluorescent sensor based on a compound containing fluorophore quinazoline ketone for detecting metal ions. 2-Methyl-4(3 H)-quinazoline thione was synthesised as a fluorescent probe for tervalent ferric ion (Fe³⁺) detection. Fluorescent determination of 2-methyl-4(3 H)-quinazoline thione indicated its maximum emission wavelength of 306.5 nm. The fluorescence interference and titration experiments have shown that the compound has a high selective fluorescence response to Fe³⁺. With an increase in the Fe³⁺ ion concentration, the fluorescence emission strength gradually weakened, and a slight red shift appeared. With Job’s method, 2-methyl-4(3 H)-quinazoline thione was proved to form a 1:2 complex with Fe³⁺. The results revealed that 2-methyl-4(3 H)-quinazoline thione could be used as a fluorescent probe for the recognition of Fe³⁺ with high selectivity.