Synthesis of colloidal silver nanoparticle clusters and their application in ascorbic acid detection by SERS

Area of Science:

• Nanotechnology
• Analytical Chemistry
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is vital for human health, primarily for its antioxidant properties.
• Accurate detection of ascorbic acid is crucial for biological and medical applications.
• Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) offer unique optical properties for sensing applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a green synthesis method for silver nanoparticles (AgNPs).
• To utilize SERS with AgNPs for sensitive detection of ascorbic acid.
• To establish a cost-effective and efficient method for ascorbic acid quantification.

Main Methods:

• Green synthesis of AgNPs using potato starch as a reducing and stabilizing agent.
• Characterization of AgNPs using UV-vis spectroscopy to analyze optical properties.
• Application of SERS spectroscopy for ascorbic acid detection based on Raman peak intensity changes.

Main Results:

• Synthesized starch-capped AgNPs exhibited localized surface plasmon resonance at 410 nm and cluster formation around 500 nm.
• A distinct Raman peak at 1386 cm⁻¹ was observed, attributed to the starch capping agent.
• An increase in ascorbic acid concentration correlated with enhanced SERS signal intensity at 1386 cm⁻¹, indicating successful detection.

Conclusions:

• The developed green synthesis method provides stable AgNPs suitable for SERS.
• The SERS technique demonstrated high sensitivity for ascorbic acid detection with a limit of 0.02 mM.
• This method shows promise for detecting ascorbic acid in biological specimens.