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A miniaturized fiber-optic colorimetric sensor for nitrite determination by coupling with a microfluidic capillary waveguide

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Abstract

A microfluidic-capillary-waveguide-coupled fiber-optic sensor was developed for colorimetric determination of hazardous nitrite based on the Griess–Ilosvay reaction. The sensor was modularly designed by use of a light-emitting diode as the light source, silica fiber as the light transmission element, and a capillary waveguide tube as the light reaction flow cell. With the light interacting with the azo dye generated by the Griess–Ilosvay reaction between nitrite and Griess reagents, nitrite could be determined by a colorimetric method according to Beer’s law. By use of the inexpensive and micro-sized elements mentioned above, the sensor provided a new low-cost and portable method for in situ and online measurement of nitrite. The sensor had a wide linear range for nitrite from 0.02 to 1.8 mg L−1 and a low detection limit of 7 μg L−1 (3σ), with a relative standard deviation of 0.37% (n = 10). With a low reagent demand of 200 μL, a short response time of 6.24 s, and excellent selectivity, the sensor is environmentally friendly and has been applied to nitrite determination in different water samples. The results were compared with those obtained by conventional spectrophotometry and ion chromatography, indicating the sensor’s potential for practical applications.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Open Fund of State Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation (Southwest Petroleum University) (Grant No. PLN 1313), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant no. 51404203), the Foundation of Youth Science and Technology Innovation Team of Sichuan Province (grant no. 2015TD0007), and the Foundation of Science and Technology Department of Sichuan Province (grant no. 2014009).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610500, China

    Yan Xiong, Cheng-Jie Wang, Tao Tao, Ming Duan, Shen-Wen Fang & Min Zheng

  2. Oil and Gas Field Applied Chemistry Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610500, China

    Yan Xiong & Ming Duan

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  1. Yan Xiong
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  2. Cheng-Jie Wang
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Correspondence to Ming Duan.

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Xiong, Y., Wang, CJ., Tao, T. et al. A miniaturized fiber-optic colorimetric sensor for nitrite determination by coupling with a microfluidic capillary waveguide. Anal Bioanal Chem 408, 3413–3423 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-016-9415-1

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