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BSA-stabilized silver nanoclusters for efficient photoresponsive colorimetric detection of chromium(VI)

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Abstract

Hexavalent chromium is a highly toxic substance, which will pose a serious threat to human life and health and the entire ecosystem. Therefore, it is crucial to establish a simple and rapid detection method for hexavalent chromium. In this work, we fabricated bovine serum albumin–stabilized silver nanocluster (BSA-Ag13 NC) which exhibited photoresponsive oxidase-like activity, catalyzing the oxidation of colorless 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) to the blue oxidized state TMB (oxTMB) in a short time. Interestingly, 8-hydroxyquinoline (8-HQ) can significantly inhibit the color reaction of TMB oxidation while Cr(VI) can interact specifically with 8-HQ to restore this chromogenic reaction. Based on the above facts, a colorimetric sensing system for detecting Cr(VI) was developed. The sensing system shows a wide linear range, and good selectivity, with a low detection limit of 2.32 nM. Moreover, this sensing system could be successfully applied to the detection of Cr(VI) in lake water, tap water, and sewage with satisfactory results.

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Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (22172063), the Young Taishan Scholar Program (tsqn201812080), the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province (ZR2019YQ10), and the Independent Cultivation Program of Innovation Team of Ji’nan City (2021GXRC052).

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  1. School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Jinan, Jinan, 250022, China

    Zhenfeng Yuan, Zhe Li, Xiaoxue Zhao, Zhenyu Ding, Mingyuan Xia, Xuyang Dong, Pengjuan Ni & Yizhong Lu

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  1. Zhenfeng Yuan
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  2. Zhe Li
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Yuan, Z., Li, Z., Zhao, X. et al. BSA-stabilized silver nanoclusters for efficient photoresponsive colorimetric detection of chromium(VI). Anal Bioanal Chem 415, 1477–1485 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-023-04535-8

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