Abstract
This research describes a colorimetric assay for Cu (II) ions that is highly selective over other metal ions. It is based on the measurement of changes in the surface plasmon resonance absorbance (at 525 nm) of gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) modified with 1,7-diaza-15-crown-5 (Crown-Au NPs). The unique structure of crown ethers and presence of heteroatoms enable the crown-Au NPs to recognize very low concentrations of Cu (II) ions. After aggregation, the surface plasmon absorption band has a red shift so that the nanoparticle solution shows a violet color. The TEM images data show that this color change is a result of crown-Au NPs aggregation upon addition of Cu (II), In contrast, other metal ions Al3+, Ca2+, Cd2+, Co2+, Cr3+, Ag+, Fe2+, Fe3+, Hg2+, K+, Mg2+, Mn2+, Na+, Ni2+, Pb2+, and Zn2+ do not aggregate. The recognition mechanism is attributed to the formation of a sandwich (2+1) between the Cu (II) ion and two diaza-15-crown-5 moieties that are attached to separate nanoparticles. This simple and fast method can be used to determine the Cu (II) ions with a detection limit as low as 200 nM.
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We are thankful to the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, Shahid Bahonar University, Kerman, Iran for the support of this work.
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Deymehkar, E., Taher, M.A., Karami, C. et al. Synthesis of SPR Nanosensor using Gold Nanoparticles and its Application to Copper (II) Determination. Silicon 10, 1329–1336 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12633-017-9608-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12633-017-9608-z