Xanthan Gum-Mediated Silver Nanoparticles for Ultrasensitive Electrochemical Detection of Hg2+ Ions from Water

• Published in: Catalysts Vol. 13; no. 1; p. 208
• Main Authors: Shakeel, Sadia, Talpur, Farah Naz, Sirajuddin, Anwar, Nadia, Iqbal, Muhammad Aamir, Ibrahim, Adnan, Afridi, Hassan Imran, Unar, Ahsanullah, Khalid, Awais, Ahmed, Inas A., Lai, Wen-Cheng, Bashir, Muhammad Sohail
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.01.2023
• Subjects: Absorption spectra; Accumulation; Capping; Carbon; Catalysts; Chemical reactions; Cobalt; Electrochemical analysis; Electrodes; Evaluation; Fourier transforms; Glassy carbon; Gold; Infrared spectroscopy; Lead; Ligands; Mercury (metal); mercury chloride; Microwaves; Nanoparticles; Oxidation; Reagents; Scientific imaging; Sensors; Silver; silver nanoparticles; voltammetric sensor; Voltammetry; water samples; Water sampling; Xanthan; xanthan gum; United States > US
• ISSN: 2073-4344; 2073-4344
• DOI: 10.3390/catal13010208

An environmentally safe, efficient, and economical microwave-assisted technique was selected for the production of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). To prepare uniformly disseminated AgNPs, xanthan gum (XG) was utilized as both a reducing and capping agent. UV–Vis spectroscopy was used to characterize the formed XG-AgNPs, with the absorption band regulated at 414 nm under optimized parameters. Atomic force microscopy was used to reveal the size and shape of XG-AgNPs. The interactions between the XG capping agent and AgNPs observed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The XG-AgNPs were placed in between glassy carbon electrode and Nafion® surfaces and then deployed as sensors for voltammetric evaluation of mercury ions (Hg2+) using square-wave voltammetry as an analytical mode. Required Nafion® quantities, electrode behavior, electrolyte characteristics, pH, initial potentials, accumulation potentials, and accumulation durations were all comprehensively investigated. In addition, an electrochemical mechanism for the oxidation of Hg2+ was postulated. With an exceptional limit of detection of 0.18 ppb and an R2 value of 0.981, the sensors’ measured linear response range was 0.0007–0.002 µM Hg2+. Hg2+ evaluations were ultimately unaffected by the presence of many coexisting metal ions (Cd2+, Pb2+, Cr2O4, Co2+,Cu2+, CuSO4). Spiked water samples were tested using the described approach, with Hg2+ recoveries ranging from 97% to 100%.