Colorimetric detection of melamine based on the size effect of AuNPs

Abstract

A simple colorimetric detection of melamine was studied using 15 nm (AuNPs-I), 30 nm (AuNPs-II), and 40 nm (AuNPs-III) citrate-capped gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). The AuNPs aggregated in aqueous solution in the presence of melamine, showing a visual color change from red to blue. This color change led to a shift in the absorption peak from 527 nm, 526 nm, and 525 nm to 638 nm, 626 nm, and 680 nm for AuNPs-I, AuNPs-II, and AuNPs-III, respectively. For all the three AuNPs, linearity was observed between the melamine concentration in aqueous solution and the absorbance ratios, A_638/527, A_626/525, and A_680/526, respectively. The limit of detection (LOD) for melamine for the AuNPs-II was found to be 2.37 × 10⁻⁸ M (correlation coefficient R² = 0.9745), which showed better sensitivity as compared to the LOD of the AuNPs-I and AuNPs-III, which were 3.3 × 10⁻⁸ M and 8.9 × 10⁻⁸ M, respectively. The synthesis of AuNPs-II also involved a lower HAuCl₄ concentration compared with the other two types of AuNPs, which may reduce the process cost. The AuNPs-II was selected to analyze melamine in pre-treated milk samples, and the recovery percentage was in the range of 91–106%. Thus, the efficient detection of melamine was possible using AuNPs-II for the on-site detection without the aid of expensive instruments.