Functionalized silver nanoparticles as colorimetric probes for sensing tricyclazole

A colorimetric assay for highly selective and sensitive detection of tricyclazole using fluorescein-functionalized silver nanoparticles (F-AgNPs) as sensing probes was investigated. As the addition of tricyclazole to F-AgNPs, a drastic decrease in the absorbance at 394 nm was detected, which was accompanied with a noticeable color change from yellow to gray. The sensing mechanism involved an interaction between tricyclazole and F-AgNPs, which led to aggregation of the latter, inducing a color change from yellow to gray. An excellent linear calibration curve (R² = 0.9994) was achieved between absorbance at 394 nm and the tricyclazole concentration in the range between 0.06 and 1.0 ppm. Moreover, the detection limit was estimated at 0.051 ppm. The developed colorimetric assay also showed good selectivity and was successfully utilized to quantify tricyclazole in rice samples with satisfactory recoveries. The proposed assay has been successfully applied for monitoring tricyclazole in rice samples.