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Polyvinylpyrrolidone-Capped Silver Nanoparticles for Highly Sensitive and Selective Optical Fiber-Based Ammonium
Revati P Potdar1, Yogesh B Khollam2, Shoyebmohamad F Shaikh3
1Nanomaterials Application Laboratory, The Institute of Science, Dr. Homi Bhabha State University, Mumbai 400032, India.
Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland)
|October 14, 2022
Summary
Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) capped silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) on optical fibers show promise for aqueous ammonium sensing. The polyol synthesis method yields superior sensitivity and a lower detection limit compared to the cold synthesis method for ammonium ion detection.
Area of Science:
- Nanomaterials Science
- Chemical Sensing
- Optical Fiber Technology
Background:
- Developing sensitive and selective sensors for aqueous ammonium detection is crucial for environmental monitoring and industrial processes.
- Silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) exhibit unique optical properties suitable for surface plasmon resonance (SPR) based sensing applications.
- Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) is utilized as a capping agent to stabilize Ag-NPs and enhance their compatibility with optical fiber platforms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the aqueous ammonium sensing characteristics of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) capped silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) coated optical fiber-based sensors.
- To compare the performance of Ag-NPs synthesized via modified polyol and cold synthesis methods for ammonium detection.
- To evaluate key sensor parameters including sensing response, repeatability, calibration curve, and ambient light effect.
Main Methods:
- Preparation of PVP-capped Ag-NPs using modified polyol and cold synthesis methods.
- Coating of optical fiber cladding with synthesized PVP-capped Ag-NPs.
- Ammonium ion detection using the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect under varying ammonium concentrations.
- Analysis of sensor performance using red, green, and blue LEDs and evaluation of sensor characteristics.
Main Results:
- The Ag-NPs synthesized via the polyol method demonstrated superior ammonium sensing performance.
- Polyol-synthesized Ag-NPs exhibited a detection limit of 48.9 mM, sensitivity of 1.33 mV/M, and excellent linearity (R² = 0.9992) in the 0.054-13.4 M range.
- Cold-synthesized Ag-NPs showed significantly lower performance with a detection limit of 159.4 mM, sensitivity of 0.06 mV/M, and poor linearity (R² = 0.4588).
Conclusions:
- The modified polyol synthesis method is more effective for preparing PVP-capped Ag-NPs for enhanced aqueous ammonium sensing compared to the cold synthesis method.
- PVP-capped Ag-NPs coated optical fiber sensors show potential for reliable ammonium ion detection.
- The study highlights the importance of synthesis method selection for optimizing nanomaterial-based optical sensor performance.
