Abstract Although colorimetric methods have been developed for the detection of silver ions (Ag+) based on gold nanoparticles aggregation induced by formation cytosine-Ag+-cytosine complexes or high salt centration with dark field microscopy (DFM). However, this state is usually unstable, resulting in the poor accuracy and repeatability of analytical methods. Herein, we have constructed an assay of Ag+ based on MnO2-coated gold nanoparticle (AuNP@MnO2). MnO2 shell can be reduced into Mn2+ by glutathione (GSH). The maximum absorption peak of AuNP@MnO2 significantly changes from 528 nm to 572 nm. Simultaneously, the color of a single nanoparticle becomes from yellow to green under DFM. However, in the presence of Ag+, the etching process of MnO2 is inhibited because of coordination between GSH toward Ag+. The maximum UV absorption peak of AuNP@MnO2 is basically unchanged. The linear equation for Ag+ detection is obtained in the range from 1.0 pM to 5.0 nM with R2 = 0.983 by using DFM. According to 3σ/k rule (where σ is the standard deviation of five blank samples and k is the slope of regression line), the limit of detection (LOD) is calculated to be 0.39 pM. Furthermore, this approach can be applied to detect Ag+ in real sample, showing the good potential for environmental monitoring and water quality control.
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