A new way in nanosensors: Gold nanorods for sensing of Fe(III) ions in aqueous media

Highly selective localized surface plasmon resonance sensor for selenium diagnosis in selenium-rich soybeans

It is a challenge to determine selenium in acid aqueous for environmental monitoring and selenium-rich agricultural diagnosis. Herein, we developed a novel localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) sensor to detect Se(IV) ions based on the extraordinary laterals etching of gold nanorods (AuNRs). The etching started from the laterals in the low amount of Se(IV) ions, and accompanied by an apparent red shift of the longitudinal plasmon band (LPB), and then transformed to the tips etching with the upward of Se(IV) ions, the LPB band immediately shifted to the shorter wavelength. The red shift change (Δλ) of LPB band was utilized to quantitative analysis instead of blue shift or absorbance intensity, which gave a high selectivity for the proposed sensor. More importantly, this sensor could be performed in 0.1 mol/L of HCl solution, which achieved the seamlessly jointing with the pretreatment of complex samples, without time-consuming pH adjustment.Successful selenium detection was demonstrated in complex soybean samples that collected from the maturity after spraying organic chelated selenium at full flower period. The sensor provided a promising way to monitor and diagnose selenium in complex environmental samples and selenium-rich crops.

Nanotechnology in precision agriculture: Advancing towards sustainable crop production

Nanotechnology offers many potential solutions for sustainable agroecosystem, including improvement in nutrient use efficiency, efficacy of pest management, and minimizing the adverse environmental effects of agricultural production. Herein, we first highlighted the integrated application of nanotechnology and precision agriculture for sustainable productivity. Application of nanoparticle mediated material and advanced biosensors in precision agriculture is only possible by nanochips or nanosensors. Nanosensors offers the measurement of various stresses, soil quality parameters and detection of heavy metals along with the enhanced data collection, enabling precise decision-making and resource management in agricultural systems. Nanoencapsulation of conventional chemical fertilizers (known as nanofertilizers), and pesticides (known as nanopesticides) helps in sustained and slow release of chemicals to soils and results in precise dosage to plants. Further, nano-based disease detection kits are popular tools for early and speedy detection of viral diseases. Many other innovative approaches including biosynthesized nanoparticles have been evaluated and proposed at various scales, but in fact there are some barriers for practical application of nanotechnology in soil-plant system, including safety and regulatory concerns, efficient delivery at field levels, and consumer acceptance. Finally, we outlined the policy options and actions required for sustainable agricultural productivity, and proposed various research pathways that may help to overcome the upcoming challenges regarding practical implications of nanotechnology.

Green room temperature synthesis of silver-gold alloy nanoparticles

Metallic alloy nanoparticles (NPs) exhibit interesting optical, electrical and catalytic properties, dependent on their size, shape and composition. In particular, silver-gold alloy NPs are widely applied as model systems to better understand the syntheses and formation (kinetics) of alloy NPs, as the two elements are fully miscible. Our study targets product design via environmentally friendly synthesis conditions. We use dextran as the reducing and stabilizing agent for the synthesis of homogeneous silver-gold alloy NPs at room temperature. Our approach is a one-pot, low temperature, reaction-controlled, green and scalable synthesis route of well-controlled composition and narrow particle size distribution. The composition over a broad range of molar gold contents is confirmed by scanning transmission electron microscopy-energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (STEM-EDX) measurements and auxiliary inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy measurements (ICP-OES). The distributions of the resulting particles in size and composition are obtained from multi-wavelength analytical ultracentrifugation using the optical back coupling method and further confirmed by high-pressure liquid chromatography. Finally, we provide insight into the reaction kinetics during the synthesis, discuss the reaction mechanism and demonstrate possibilities for scale-up by a factor of more than 250 by increasing the reactor volume and NP concentration.

Multifunctional nanomaterials and nanocomposites for sensing and monitoring of environmentally hazardous heavy metal contaminants

The applications of conventional sensors are limited by the long response time, high cost, large detection limit, low sensitivity, complicated usage and low selectivity. These sensors are nowadays replaced by Nanocomposite-based modalities and nanomaterials which are known for their high selectivity and physical and chemical properties. These nanosensors effectively detect heavy metal contaminants in the environment as the discharge of heavy metals into natural water as a result of human activity has become a global epidemic. Exposure to these toxic metals might induce many health-related complications, including kidney failure, brain injury, immune disorders, muscle paleness, cardiac damage, nervous system impairment and limb paralysis. Therefore, designing and developing novel sensing systems for the detection and recognition of these harmful metals in various environmental matrices, particularly water, is of extremely important. Emerging nanotechnological approaches in the past two decades have played a key role in overcoming environmentally-related problems. Nanomaterial-based fabrication of chemical nanosensors has widely been applied as a powerful analytical tool for sensing heavy metals. Portability, high sensitivity, on-site detection capability, better device performance and selectivity are all advantages of these nanosensors. The detection and selectivity have been improved using molecular recognition probes for selective binding on different nanostructures. This study aims to evaluate the sensing properties of various nanomaterials such as metal-organic frameworks, fluorescent materials, metal-based nanoparticles, carbon-based nanomaterials and quantum dots and graphene-based nanomaterials and quantum dots for heavy metal ions recognition. All these nano-architectures are frequently served as effective fluorescence probes to directly (or by modification with some large or small biomolecules) sense heavy metal ions for improved selectivity. However, efforts are still needed for the simultaneous designing of multiple metal ion-based detection systems, exclusively in colorimetric or optical fluorescence nanosensors for heavy metal cations.

Mercaptosuccinic-Acid-Functionalized Gold Nanoparticles for Highly Sensitive Colorimetric Sensing of Fe(III) Ions

The development of reliable and highly sensitive methods for heavy metal detection is a critical task for protecting the environment and human health. In this study, a qualitative colorimetric sensor that used mercaptosuccinic-acid-functionalized gold nanoparticles (MSA-AuNPs) to detect trace amounts of Fe(III) ions was developed. MSA-AuNPs were prepared using a one-step reaction, where mercaptosuccinic acid (MSA) was used for both stabilization, which was provided by the presence of two carboxyl groups, and functionalization of the gold nanoparticle (AuNP) surface. The chelating properties of MSA in the presence of Fe(III) ions and the concentration-dependent aggregation of AuNPs showed the effectiveness of MSA-AuNPs as a sensing probe with the use of an absorbance ratio of A530/A650 as an analytical signal in the developed qualitative assay. Furthermore, the obvious Fe(III)-dependent change in the color of the MSA-AuNP solution from red to gray-blue made it possible to visually assess the metal content in a concentration above the detection limit with an assay time of less than 1 min. The detection limit that was achieved (23 ng/mL) using the proposed colorimetric sensor is more than 10 times lower than the maximum allowable concentration for drinking water defined by the World Health Organization (WHO). The MSA-AuNPs were successfully applied for Fe(III) determination in tap, spring, and drinking water, with a recovery range from 89.6 to 126%. Thus, the practicality of the MSA-AuNP-based sensor and its potential for detecting Fe(III) in real water samples were confirmed by the rapidity of testing and its high sensitivity and selectivity in the presence of competing metal ions.

A Review on Biosensors and Nanosensors Application in Agroecosystems

Previous decades have witnessed a lot of challenges that have provoked a dire need of ensuring global food security. The process of augmenting food production has made the agricultural ecosystems to face a lot of challenges like the persistence of residual particles of different pesticides, accretion of heavy metals, and contamination with toxic elemental particles which have negatively influenced the agricultural environment. The entry of such toxic elements into the human body via agricultural products engenders numerous health effects such as nerve and bone marrow disorders, metabolic disorders, infertility, disruption of biological functions at the cellular level, and respiratory and immunological diseases. The exigency for monitoring the agroecosystems can be appreciated by contemplating the reported 220,000 annual deaths due to toxic effects of residual pesticidal particles. The present practices employed for monitoring agroecosystems rely on techniques like gas chromatography, high-performance liquid chromatography, mass spectroscopy, etc. which have multiple constraints, being expensive, tedious with cumbersome protocol, demanding sophisticated appliances along with skilled personnel. The past couple of decades have witnessed a great expansion of the science of nanotechnology and this development has largely facilitated the development of modest, quick, and economically viable bio and nanosensors for detecting different entities contaminating the natural agroecosystems with an advantage of being innocuous to human health. The growth of nanotechnology has offered rapid development of bio and nanosensors for the detection of several composites which range from several metal ions, proteins, pesticides, to the detection of complete microorganisms. Therefore, the present review focuses on different bio and nanosensors employed for monitoring agricultural ecosystems and also trying to highlight the factor affecting their implementation from proof-of-concept to the commercialization stage.

Experimental and theoretical investigation of the photothermal effect in gold nanorods

In this work, gold nanorods (GNRs) were synthesized using a seed-mediated route and their photothermal properties were investigated experimentally as well as theoretically.

A stimuli responsive triplet-triplet annihilation upconversion system and its application as a ratiometric sensor for Fe3+ ions

A ratiometric fluorescent sensor for the detection of Fe3+ ions is achieved based on triplet-triplet annihilation upconversion (TTA-UC) luminescence. A new anthracene derivative (named as DHTPA) is designed and synthesized and reveals similar optical properties to 9,10-diphenylanthracene (DPA) and is used as a stimuli responsive annihilator in a TTA-UC system due to its complexation ability. As a result, the UC emission can be significantly quenched by Fe3+ ions, while the phosphorescence (PL) emission of sensitizer palladium(ii) octaetylporphyrin (PdOEP) remains nearly constant, which makes the PL signal an appropriate internal reference for the UC signal. The UC and ratio signals (I UC/I PL) both reveal a good linear relationship with Fe3+ ion concentration, which for the first time makes the TTA-UC system a perfect ratiometric sensor for Fe3+ ion detection. This sensing method will open a novel avenue to achieve ratiometric sensors in chemical and biological fields.

Ficus retusa-stabilized gold and silver nanoparticles: Controlled synthesis, spectroscopic characterization, and sensing properties

Ficus retusa was used as reducing and stabilizing agent in the green synthesis of silver and gold nanoparticles with high dispersion stability and controllable size and shape. The controlling of reaction conditions i.e. contact time, extract quantity, metal concentration, and pH value enables the tuning of the particle size and size distribution of the metal nanoparticles. UV-visible spectroscopy was used to follow the spectral profile changes of the surface plasmon resonance of the metal nanoparticles due to different treatments. The surface plasmon resonance varies between 400 and 432 nm and between 522 and 554 nm for silver and gold nanoparticles, respectively, depending on the different reaction parameters. Atomic force and transmission electron microscopy results confirmed the success of preparation of spherical silver (15 nm) and gold (10-25 nm) nanoparticles with narrow size-distribution. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy suggested the phenolic compounds play the key role in the reduction and stabilizing of metal ions. The colorimetric sensitivity of silver and gold nanoparticles to detect the presence of heavy metals in water was studied.

Recent biomedical applications of gold nanoparticles: A review

Recent advances in nanotechnology are as a result of the development of engineered nanoparticles. Efficiently, metallic nanoparticles have been widely exploited for biomedical application and among them, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are highly remarkable. Consequent upon their significant nature, spherical and gold nanorods (Au NRs) nanoparticles attract extreme attention. Their intrinsic features such as optical, electronic, physicochemical and, surface plasmon resonance (SPR); which can be altered by changing the characterizations of particles such as shape, size, aspect ratio, or environment; ease of synthesis and functionalization properties have resulted to various applications in different fields of biomedicine such as sensing, targeted drug delivery, imaging, photothermal and photodynamic therapy as well as the modulation of two or three applications. This article reviewed the popular AuNPs synthesis methods and mentioned their established applications in various demands, especially in biological sensing.

Highly Sensitive Colorimetric Assay for Determining Fe3+ Based on Gold Nanoparticles Conjugated with Glycol Chitosan

A highly sensitive and simple colorimetric assay for the detection of Fe³⁺ ions was developed using gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) conjugated with glycol chitosan (GC). The Fe³⁺ ion coordinates with the oxygen atoms of GC in a hexadentate manner (O-Fe³⁺-O), decreasing the interparticle distance and inducing aggregation. Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry showed that the bound Fe³⁺ was coordinated to the oxygen atoms of the ethylene glycol in GC, which resulted in a significant color change from light red to dark midnight blue due to aggregation. Using this GC-AuNP probe, the quantitative determination of Fe³⁺ in biological, environmental, and pharmaceutical samples could be achieved by the naked eye and spectrophotometric methods. Sensitive response and pronounced color change of the GC-AuNPs in the presence of Fe³⁺ were optimized at pH 6, 70°C, and 300 mM NaCl concentration. The absorption intensity ratio (A₇₀₀/A₅₁₀) linearly correlated to the Fe³⁺ concentration in the linear range of 0-180 μM. The limits of detection were 11.3, 29.2, and 46.0 nM for tap water, pond water, and iron supplement tablets, respectively. Owing to its facile and sensitive nature, this assay method for Fe³⁺ ions can be applied to the analysis of drinking water and pharmaceutical samples.

Photo-mediated optimized synthesis of silver nanoparticles for the selective detection of Iron(III), antibacterial and antioxidant activity

The AgNPs synthesized by green method have shown great potential in several applications such as biosensing, biomedical, catalysis, electronic etc. The present study deals with the selective colorimetric detection of Fe³⁺ using photoinduced green synthesized AgNPs. For the synthesis purpose, an aqueous extract of Croton bonplandianum (AEC) was used as a reducing and stabilizing agent. The biosynthesis was confirmed by UV-visible spectroscopy where an SPR band at λ_max 436nm after 40s and 428nm after 30min corresponded to the existence of AgNPs. The optimum conditions for biosynthesis of AgNPs were 30min sunlight exposure time, 5.0% (v/v) AEC inoculum dose and 4mM AgNO₃ concentration. The stability of synthesized AgNPs was monitored up to 9months. The size and shape of AgNPs with average size 19.4nm were determined by Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FE-SEM) and High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscope (HR-TEM). The crystallinity was determined by High-Resolution X-ray Diffractometer (HR-XRD) and Selected Area Electron Diffraction (SAED) pattern. The chemical and elemental compositions were determined by Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDX) respectively. The Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) images represented the lateral and 3D topological characteristics of AgNPs. The XPS analysis confirmed the presence of two individual peaks which attributed to the Ag 3d3/2 and Ag 3d5/2 binding energies corresponding to the presence of metallic silver. The biosynthesized AgNPs showed potent antibacterial activity against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial strains as well as antioxidant activity. On the basis of results and facts, a probable mechanism was also proposed to explore the possible route of AgNPs synthesis, colorimetric detection of Fe³⁺, antibacterial and antioxidant activity.

Noble metal-based bimetallic nanoparticles: the effect of the structure on the optical, catalytic and photocatalytic properties

Nanoparticles composed of two different metal elements show novel electronic, optical, catalytic or photocatalytic properties from monometallic nanoparticles. Bimetallic nanoparticles could show not only the combination of the properties related to the presence of two individual metals, but also new properties due to a synergy between two metals. The structure of bimetallic nanoparticles can be oriented in random alloy, alloy with an intermetallic compound, cluster-in-cluster or core-shell structures and is strictly dependent on the relative strengths of metal-metal bond, surface energies of bulk elements, relative atomic sizes, preparation method and conditions, etc. In this review, selected properties, such as structure, optical, catalytic and photocatalytic of noble metals-based bimetallic nanoparticles, are discussed together with preparation routes. The effects of preparation method conditions as well as metal properties on the final structure of bimetallic nanoparticles (from alloy to core-shell structure) are followed. The role of bimetallic nanoparticles in heterogeneous catalysis and photocatalysis are discussed. Furthermore, structure and optical characteristics of bimetallic nanoparticles are described in relation to the some features of monometallic NPs. Such a complex approach allows to systematize knowledge and to identify the future direction of research.

State-of-the-art strategies for the colorimetric detection of heavy metals using gold nanorods based on aspect ratio reduction

Current colorimetric detection techniques for metals using gold nanorods based on variations in the aspect ratio have been summarized.

A gold nanorod-based localized surface plasmon resonance platform for the detection of environmentally toxic metal ions

Gold nanorods (Au NRs) are elongated nanoparticles with unique optical properties which depend on their shape anisometry. The Au NR-based longitudinal localized surface plasmon resonance (longitudinal LSPR) band is very sensitive to the surrounding local environment and upon the addition of target analytes, the interaction between the analytes and the surface of the Au NRs leads to a change in the longitudinal LSPR band. This makes it possible to devise Au NR probes with application potential to the detection of toxic metal ions with an improved limit of detection, response time, and selectivity for the fabrication of sensing devices. The effective surface modification of Au NRs helps in improving their selectivity and sensitivity toward the detection of toxic metal ions. In this review, we discuss different methods for the preparation of surface modified Au NRs for the detection of toxic metal ions based on the LSPR band of the Au NRs and the types of interactions between the surface of Au NRs and metal ions. We summarize the work that has been done on Au NR-based longitudinal LSPR detection of environmentally toxic metal ions, sensing mechanisms, and the current progress in various modified Au NR-based longitudinal LSPR sensors for toxic metal ions. Finally, we discuss the applications of Au NR-based longitudinal LSPR sensors to real sample analysis and some of the future challenges facing longitudinal LSPR-based sensors for the detection of toxic metal ions toward commercial devices.

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 Fe(3+) 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 Fe(3+) concentration in aqueous solution. Based on the linear relationship between SPR intensity and concentration of Fe(3+) ions, the as-synthesized water-soluble silver nanoparticles can be used for the sensitive and selective detection of Fe(3+) 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 Fe(3+) ions is proposed, which is different from previously reported mechanisms. Moreover, the NALC-Ag NPs could be applied to the detection of Fe(3+) ions in real environmental water samples.

Functionalization of Smart Gels with Beta-Cyclodextrin and Release Characteristics to Simulating Drugs

Smart gels have many applications in sensors, actuators, shape memory intelligent devices, recognition, self-healing, drug release, biomimetic soft robot design, biomimetic tactile, neural regeneration, biomimetic membranes, supercapacitor, dye-sensitized solar cells, advanced lithium polymer batteries, environmental fields, biomedical fields, et al. And that cyclodextrins are one of the typical macrocycles with good recognition ability, and endowed with fascinating hydrophobic cavities and hydrophilic surface, which enable the encapsulation of diverse small organic molecules by forming inclusion complexes. In this paper, grafted copolymerization between acrylic acid and N,N-dimethyl acrylamide in the presence of water-soluble cyclodextrins was carried out. The effect of ratio of copolymerization monomer on the grafted polymer was examined. The results indicated that self-crosslinking smart gel with multi-stimuli responsive was obtained by selecting suitable the ratio of copolymerization monomer, its behaviors of swelling/shrinking were examined. The adsorption properties and releasing characteristics of smart gel were performed with simulating drugs. Some meaningful results were obtained. These series grafted copolymer would also be used to modify the surface and interface properties of low-dimensional functional materials or heterostructured nanocomposites for intelligent organic-inorganic functional nanocomposites, some good results were obtained.