Electrospun fibre colorimetric probe based on gold nanoparticles for on-site detection of 17β-estradiol associated with dairy farming effluents

Abstract

An on-site colorimetric probe, based on gold nanoparticles incorporated into electrospun polystyrene nanofibres, for the detection of oestrogenic compounds, as represented by 17β-estradiol, in dairy effluents is presented. The probe exhibited a significant absorption peak at 542 nm, ascribed to surface plasmon resonance of Au nanoparticles (NPs). With increasing 17β-estradiol concentration the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) band shifted to a longer wavelength accompanied by a visual colour change from shades of pink to blue. The visible cut-off concentration was 100 ng/mℓ. Upon exposure to cholesterol and a series of compounds known to induce oestrogenic activity, p,p'-DDE, deltamethrin, 4-tert-octylphenol and nonylphenol, only 17β-estradiol could induce a pink colour observable by the naked eye, which is indicative that the proposed gold nanoparticles-incorporated electrospun polystyrene nanofibres could be employed as highly selective colorimetric strips to detect 17β-estradiol, with minor interference from other endocrine-disrupting compounds usually present in dairy effluents. The facile nature of the colorimetric probe and potential application in monitoring water quality was demonstrated.

Towards the development of solid-state platform optical sensors: aggregation of gold nanoparticles on polyurethane foam

“…The second approach is much more promising regarding this task, however it requires a quite complicated synthetic procedure. An alternative approach has been developed by Torto and co-workers [25][26][27]. It is based on application of AuNPs-polymer fiber nanocomposites synthesized by the electrospinning technique as colorimetric probes that change their color due to aggregation of AuNPs on surface of the fibers in the presence of analytes.…”

Sensors from Electrospun Nanostructures

“…Colorimetric sensors have been produced incorporating gold nanoparticles into electrospun polystyrene nanofibres. These sensors, which do not employ any complex instrumentation, showed very good response towards oestrogenic compounds such as 17β-estradiol, with high sensitivity [72].…”

Encapsulation of Carbon Dots in a Core–Shell Mesh through Coaxial Direct Ink Writing for Improved Crop Growth

“…Compared to the particulate systems, core–shell structures in the fiber form can contribute to the homogeneous distribution of active ingredients . Electrospinning, so far, has been a straightforward, room-temperature method to envelope fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides in this form. , Nevertheless, electrospinning also utilizes excessive amounts of organic solvents, and the fabrication of fibers with proper mechanical strength is still challenging due to the limitation of the fiber diameter that can be produced via this method. The micron-sized fibers can only encapsulate a scarce amount of material; therefore, the reports on the applications of electrospun fibers in agriculture only cover short-term release studies (e.g., hours to a couple of days). , …”