Monodispersed gold nanoparticles as a probe for the detection of Hg2+ ions in water

Abstract

Gold nanoparticles were synthesized using Ananas comosus as reducing agent. UV-visible spectra show the surface plasmon resonance peak at 544 nm. TEM measurement shows that the formation of monodispersed spherical nanoparticles with average size of 7 nm. Crystalline nature of the nanoparticles was evident from TEM images and peaks in the XRD pattern. FTIR analysis provides the presence of biomolecules responsible for the reduction and capping of the prepared gold nanoparticles. A selective and sensitive method is proposed for detecting mercury based on the SPR change of gold nanoparticles. This mercury sensor based on surface plasmon optical sensor can be used in water analysis.

Keywords

• Ananas comosus
• gold nanoparticles
• mercury
• optical sensor