Colorimetric detection for uranyl ions in water using vinylphosphonic acid functionalized gold nanoparticles based on smartphone

Linshan Zhang; Deshun Huang; Pengxiang Zhao; Guozong Yue; Luming Yang; Weihua Dan

doi:10.1016/j.saa.2021.120748

Colorimetric detection for uranyl ions in water using vinylphosphonic acid functionalized gold nanoparticles based on smartphone

Spectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc. 2022 Mar 15:269:120748. doi: 10.1016/j.saa.2021.120748. Epub 2021 Dec 13.

Authors

Linshan Zhang¹, Deshun Huang², Pengxiang Zhao³, Guozong Yue³, Luming Yang⁴, Weihua Dan⁵

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Materials, China Academy of Engineering Physics, No. 9, Huafengxincun, Jiangyou City, Sichuan Province 621908, PR China; The Key Laboratory of Leather Chemistry and Engineering of Ministry of Education, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, PR China.
² Institute of Materials, China Academy of Engineering Physics, No. 9, Huafengxincun, Jiangyou City, Sichuan Province 621908, PR China. Electronic address: huangdeshun@caep.cn.
³ Institute of Materials, China Academy of Engineering Physics, No. 9, Huafengxincun, Jiangyou City, Sichuan Province 621908, PR China.
⁴ The Key Laboratory of Leather Chemistry and Engineering of Ministry of Education, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, PR China. Electronic address: yangluming@scu.edu.cn.
⁵ The Key Laboratory of Leather Chemistry and Engineering of Ministry of Education, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, PR China.

PMID: 34952439
DOI: 10.1016/j.saa.2021.120748

Abstract

A simple and portable colorimetric sensor for colorimetric detection of UO₂²⁺ in aqueous solution based on vinylphosphonic acid functionalized gold nanoparticles (VPA-AuNPs) has been developed. The VPA-AuNPs solution was prepared by sodium borohydride reduction in the presence of vinylphosphonic acid. The addition of UO₂²⁺ would induce aggregation of VPA-AuNPs, resulting in the color change from wine-red to blue, and red-shift of the ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectra. The UO₂²⁺ assay based on VPA-AuNPs showed good selectivity and sensitivity, with a limit of detection to be approximately 2.0 μM by naked eyes and 1.07 μM by UV-vis (S/N = 3) respectively. Additionally, a smartphone with a free application named "PhotoMetrix" was employed to estimate the color intensities (red, green, blue value) of VPA-AuNPs in the presence of UO₂²⁺ with different concentrations, and the concentration of UO₂²⁺ samples could be conveniently exported by the calculated univariate calibration curves. This method shows good feasibility for on-site UO₂²⁺ detection in an aqueous solution.

Keywords: Colorimetric detection; Gold nanoparticles; Smartphone; Uranyl.

MeSH terms

Colorimetry
Gold*
Ions
Metal Nanoparticles*
Organophosphonates
Smartphone
Vinyl Compounds
Water

Substances

Ions
Organophosphonates
Vinyl Compounds
Water
vinylphosphonic acid
Gold