Issue 10, 2024

Paper-based colorimetric hyperammonemia sensing by controlled oxidation of plasmonic silver nanoparticles

Abstract

High concentrations of ammonia in the human body can occur due to a wide variety of underlying causes such as liver cirrhosis and the symptoms of high ammonia concentrations are diffuse and hard to diagnose. The measurement of blood ammonia levels is an important diagnostic tool but is challenging to perform at the patient's bedside. Here, we present a plasmonic Ag nanoparticle-based ammonia sensor which provides a colorimetric optical readout and does not require specialised equipment. This is achieved using plasmonic Ag/SiO2 nanoparticles with the sensing mechanism that in the presence of OCl they rapidly degrade reducing their plasmonic extinction and losing their characteristic colour. However, if ammonia is also present in the system, it neutralises the OCl and thus the silver nanoparticles retain their plasmonic colour as can be measured by the naked eye or using a spectrometer. This sensing was further developed to enable measurements with animal serum as well as a implementing a facile “dip-stick” style paper-based sensor.

Graphical abstract: Paper-based colorimetric hyperammonemia sensing by controlled oxidation of plasmonic silver nanoparticles

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
08 Jan 2024
Accepted
10 Apr 2024
First published
15 Apr 2024
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Nanoscale Adv., 2024,6, 2586-2593

Paper-based colorimetric hyperammonemia sensing by controlled oxidation of plasmonic silver nanoparticles

P. Merkl and G. A. Sotiriou, Nanoscale Adv., 2024, 6, 2586 DOI: 10.1039/D4NA00021H

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