Pyridoxal derivative functionalized gold nanoparticles for colorimetric determination of zinc(ii) and aluminium(iii)

Abstract

This investigation presents the synthesis of a thiol derivative L by one step condensation of pyridoxal with 4-aminothiophenol, and its functionalization on citrate capped AuNPs. The nano-assembly L-AuNPs was applied for the colorimetric detection of metal ions in aqueous medium. The red color of the L-AuNPs solution turns to blue upon addition of Al³⁺ and Zn²⁺ due to the aggregation of nanoparticles. With a high specificity, this nanoprobe detects Al³⁺ and Zn²⁺ with the detection limit down to 0.51 μM and 0.74 μM, respectively. This nano-assembly was also applied for real water sample analysis and construction of INHIBIT logic gate with the two chemical inputs Zn²⁺ and F⁻.