Detection of Heavy Metal Ions Based on Gold Nanoparticles

Abstract

Gold nanoparticles, abbreviated as AuNPs, have been widely used in catalysis, optics, electronics, and biotechnology due to their unique performance brought by large specific surface area. In recent years, with the improvement of health awareness, the use of gold nanoparticles to detect heavy metal ions has become a research hotspot. The detection is based on colorimetric techniques, which means the metal ions are detected through the color change in solutions. This color change is visible or could be distinguished by ultraviolet-vissible spectrometers. Numerous studies have been published on gold nanoparticles, especially for its synthesis methods. This work introduced the chemical, physical, and biological preparation methods of gold nanoparticles. Understanding mechanisms for detecting heavy metal ions using AuNPs is also very important. Aggregating mechanism, anti-aggregation mechanism, and etching mechanism were also introduced. In addition, applications of using AuNPs to detect heavy metal ions were also introduced. This work will help promote the further development of this technology.