Highly Selective Colorimetric Sensor for Cyanide Ions in Water Samples

Researchers at Bharathiar University have developed a novel polydopamine-stabilized silver nanoparticles (PDA-AgNPs) that can detect cyanide ions in water samples with high selectivity and accuracy. This colorimetric probe exhibits a limit of detection of 0.12 M and can distinguish cyanide ions from other common interference ions. The sensor has been shown to be reliable and applicable for real water samples with acceptable recovery percentages.

Key Takeaways:

• The PDA-AgNPs were synthesized and characterized using UV-Vis, TEM, XRD, FT-IR, DLS, and Zeta potential measurements.
• The surface plasmon resonance (SPR) band of PDA-AgNPs at 392 nm was progressively decreased, accompanied by a visible color change from yellow to colorless, upon successive additions of CN ions.
• The method demonstrated an excellent selectivity towards CN ions detection, over other common interference ions.
• A smartphone-based detection platform was developed for on-site CN ion monitoring.
• The sensor exhibited a limit of detection of 0.12 M.
• The proposed assay proved reliable and applicable for real water samples with acceptable recovery percentages.
• The research was conducted by a team of researchers from Bharathiar University, including Velmurugan Indhuja, Karuppasamy Nandhini, Mani Arivazhagan, Krishnamoorthy Shanmugaraj, M. P. Pachamuthu, Ramalinga Viswanathan Mangalaraja, and Malaichamy Ilanchelian.

Statistics:

• Limit of detection: 0.12 M
• Recovery percentages: acceptable
• Number of researchers involved: 8
• Synthesis and characterization methods used: UV-Vis, TEM, XRD, FT-IR, DLS, Zeta potential measurements
• Number of interference ions detected: 1 (CN ions)

Sources:

• Velmurugan Indhuja et al. (2025) Highly Selective Colorimetric Sensor for Cyanide Ions in Water Samples Using Polydopamine-Stabilized Silver Nanoparticles. Journal of Fluorescence.
• Springer|plenum Publishers. (2025). Journal of Fluorescence. Retrieved from www.springerlink.com/content/1053-0509/
• Bharathiar University. (2025). Department of Chemistry. Retrieved from Bharathiar University website.