Abstract
Due to the use of copper water pipes and the discharge of industrial wastewater, contamination of copper ions in drinking water has become a severe hazard globally. To routinely check water safety on a daily basis, easy-to-use platforms for quantitative analysis of trace amounts of copper ions (Cu2+) in drinking water is needed. Here, we report microfluidic particle accumulation integrated with a Cu(II)-catalyzed Fenton reaction for visual and quantitative copper ion detection. Microparticles (MMPs) and polystyrene microparticles (PMPs) are connected via a single strand DNA, MB155. However, when Cu2+ is present, MB155 is cleaved by hydroxyl free radicals (•OH) produced from Cu2+/hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) Fenton reactions, causing an increased amount of free PMPs. To visually count them, the particle solution is loaded onto a microfluidic chip where free MMPs and MMPs–MB155–PMPs can be collected by the magnetic separator, while the free PMPs continue flowing until being accumulated at the particle dam. The results showed a good linear relationship between the trapping length of PMP accumulation and the Cu2+ concentration from 0 to 300 nM. A limit of detection (LOD) of 70.1 nM was achieved, which is approximately 449 times lower than the 2 × 103 μg·L−1 (~31.5 μM) required by the World Health Organization (WHO). Moreover, the results showed high selectivity and good tolerance to pH and hardness, indicating compatibility for detection in tap water, suggesting a potential platform for the routine monitoring of copper contamination in drinking water.
Highlights
Accepted: 28 November 2021Cu2+ is an essential element participating in many biological systems such as the central nervous system [1], the immune system [2], and the functioning of internal organs such as the heart [3]
The particle solution is loaded onto a microfluidic chip, where free MMPs and MMPs–MB155–polystyrene microparticles (PMPs) are separated by a magnet, and the free PMPs continue flowing until being trapped and accumulated at the particle dam, which is narrow in width, enabling the quantitative determination of Cu2+ by visual inspection
Microparticles are disconnected, making the solution turbid. (b) After reaction, the particle solution is loaded onto a microfluidic chip, where free MMPs and MMPs–MB155–PMPs are separated by a magnet, and the free PMPs continue flowing until being trapped and accumulated at the particle dam, which is narrow in width, enabling the quantitative determination of Cu2+ by visual inspection
Summary
Accepted: 28 November 2021Cu2+ is an essential element participating in many biological systems such as the central nervous system [1], the immune system [2], and the functioning of internal organs such as the heart [3]. An excess amount of Cu2+ may burden the organs and lead to illnesses such as liver and kidney dysfunction [4,5] and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases [6,7]. Because of the increased industrialization and urbanization, the metal deposits from manufacturing byproducts accumulate in the soil and sediments of water bodies, which cannot be completely removed by the existing tap water treatment process and could be even worsened after pipeline transportation. A maximum level of copper in drinking water was set to. 2.00 × 103 μg·L−1 (~31.5 μM) by the WHO [8], which is used in the routine analysis and monitoring of trace amounts of Cu2+ in drinking water to ensure water safety. Many analytical methods have been developed based on colorimetry [14,15,16], electrochemistry [17,18], and fluores-
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