Biosynthesis of silver nanospheres, kinetic profiling and their application in the optical sensing of mercury and chlorite ions in aqueous solutions

Devika Vashisht; Sugandha Sangar; Manpreet Kaur; Ekta Sharma; Aseem Vashisht; A O Ibhadon; Shweta Sharma; S K Mehta; Kulvinder Singh

doi:10.1016/j.envres.2021.111142

Biosynthesis of silver nanospheres, kinetic profiling and their application in the optical sensing of mercury and chlorite ions in aqueous solutions

Environ Res. 2021 Jun:197:111142. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.111142. Epub 2021 Apr 15.

Authors

Devika Vashisht¹, Sugandha Sangar², Manpreet Kaur³, Ekta Sharma², Aseem Vashisht⁴, A O Ibhadon⁵, Shweta Sharma⁶, S K Mehta³, Kulvinder Singh⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemistry and Centre for Advanced Studies in Chemistry, Panjab University, Chandigarh, 160014, India; Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Hull, Cottingham Road, Hull, HU6 7RX, United Kingdom.
² Department of Chemistry, School of Basic and Applied Sciences, Maharaja Agrasen University, Baddi, 174103, India.
³ Department of Chemistry and Centre for Advanced Studies in Chemistry, Panjab University, Chandigarh, 160014, India.
⁴ Department of Physics, Panjab University, Chandigarh, 160014, India.
⁵ Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Hull, Cottingham Road, Hull, HU6 7RX, United Kingdom.
⁶ Institute of Forensic Science and Criminology, Panjab University, Chandigarh, 160014, India.
⁷ Department of Chemistry, School of Basic and Applied Sciences, Maharaja Agrasen University, Baddi, 174103, India. Electronic address: kulvinderchem@gmail.com.

PMID: 33865822
DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2021.111142

Abstract

Pollution of water linked to microbial decontamination and extensive use of sodium chlorite (NaClO₂) as a disinfectant, especially in the face of the current COVID-19 situation, is a serious water pollution issue that needs to be addressed. In this context, an environmentally friendly and cost-effective method has been developed for the biomimetic synthesis of Ag nanospheres (Ag NSs) using aqueous extract of Piper nigrum for the detection of chlorite (ClO₂^-) and mercury (Hg²⁺) ions. The strong antioxidant properties of the biomolecules present in the Piper nigrum extract reduce silver ions (Ag⁺) to Ag⁰. After optimization of the formulation parameters, it was observed that 1 mL of piper nigrum extract was sufficient to reduce and stabilize 100 mL of 1.5 mM of Ag⁺ in 2.5 h at 30 °C. X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern of Ag NSs revealed their crystalline nature and the characteristic Bragg's diffraction peaks confirmed their face cubic crystal (FCC) lattice. The characteristic reddish-brown color and absorption surface plasmon resonance (SPR) band at 435 nm confirmed the successful fabrication of Ag NSs. Kinetic analysis revealed a three-phase growth pattern involving nucleation, growth and stabilization. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) micrograms, showed spherical NSs with narrow polydispersity with particle size ranging from 10 to 30 nm. The synthesized NSs were exposed to various metal ions and anions. The absorption intensity of Ag NSs quenched in the presence of mercury ions (Hg²⁺) among the cations and Chlorite ions (ClO₂^-) among the anions. The limit of detection (LOD) of 7.47 μM and 1.11 μM was evaluated from the calibration curve for Hg²⁺ and ClO₂^-, respectively. Based on these promising results, it is suggested that the method reported is a low-cost and one step biogenic protocol for the synthesis of Ag NSs and their employment for the detection of Hg²⁺ and ClO₂^-ions.

Keywords: Chlorite; Green synthesis; Mercury; Piper nigrum; Sensing.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

COVID-19*
Chlorides
Humans
Kinetics
Mercury*
Metal Nanoparticles*
Nanospheres*
SARS-CoV-2
Silver
Water

Substances

Chlorides
Water
Silver
Mercury
chlorite