Abstract
In this study, synthesis and characterization of chitosan/maghemite (Cs/Fe2O3) composites thin film has been described. Its properties were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis). FTIR confirmed the existence of Fe–O bond, C–N bond, C–C bond, C–O bond, O=C=O bond and O–H bond in Cs/Fe2O3 thin film. The surface morphology of the thin film indicated the relatively smooth and homogenous thin film, and also confirmed the interaction of Fe2O3 with the chitosan. Next, the UV-Vis result showed high absorbance value with an optical band gap of 4.013 eV. The incorporation of this Cs/Fe2O3 thin film with an optical-based method, i.e., surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy showed positive response where mercury ion (Hg2+) can be detected down to 0.01 ppm (49.9 nM). These results validate the potential of Cs/Fe2O3 thin film for optical sensing applications in Hg2+ detection.
Highlights
Organic polymeric materials made up of many repeating monomer units have made a significant impact on biological and biomedical research activities because of the flexibility and the ease of fabrication [1]
A recent study documented the utilization of polypyrrole-chitosan/nickel-ferrite nanoparticles as an active layer to a prism-based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) technique for Hg2+ sensing, which reached a limit of detection (LOD) as low as 1.94 μM [54]
Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectroscopy was used to identify the functional groups existed in Cs/Fe2 O3 thin film
Summary
Organic polymeric materials made up of many repeating monomer units have made a significant impact on biological and biomedical research activities because of the flexibility and the ease of fabrication [1]. Many researchers have dedicated their time to develop chitosan-based materials onto SPR interfaces in lowering the detection limit of Hg2+ , [52,53,54]. A recent study documented the utilization of polypyrrole-chitosan/nickel-ferrite nanoparticles as an active layer to a prism-based on SPR technique for Hg2+ sensing, which reached a limit of detection (LOD) as low as 1.94 μM [54]. An effort was made to apply the chitosan/γ-Fe2 O3 thin film onto a thin gold surface, as a novel active layer for the SPR technique in sensing Hg2+ as low as nanomolar. The studies of structural and optical properties of Cs/γ-Fe2 O3 thin film on the gold surface are reported and explored
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