In situ synthesis of gold nanoparticles on novel nanocomposite lactose/alginate: Recyclable catalysis and colorimetric detection of Fe(III)

Abstract

This work presents a simply new method for in situ synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) using the biodegradable polysaccharides. A novel composite of lactose/alginate (Lac/Alg) could be prepared easily through ionotropic gelation mechanism which can reduce in situ gold ions into AuNPs. Lactose plays a crucial role as a reducing reagent which are demonstrated by FTIR analysis. The crystalline structure of AuNPs with a mean size of 10 nm has been confirmed by analysis techniques. The nanocomposite powder possesses highly catalytic performance for degradation of contaminants including 4-nitrophenol, methyl orange, rhodamine 6 G and rhodamine B. The dispersion solution of AuNPs@Lac/Alg was used as an effective probe for highly selective detection of Fe³⁺ ions. The detection mechanism replies on the aggregation of nanocomposite in the presence of Fe³⁺ ions. LOD value was found to be 0.8 μM in a linear range of 2.0-80.0 μM.

Keywords: Alginate; Catalysis; Gold nanoparticles; In situ synthesis; Lactose; Sensor.