A Sensitive Epinephrine Sensor Based on Photochemically Synthesized Gold Nanoparticles


Metin E., Batıbay G. S., Aydın M., Arsu N.

CHEMOSENSORS, cilt.13, sa.7, ss.229, 2025 (SCI-Expanded)

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 13 Sayı: 7
  • Basım Tarihi: 2025
  • Doi Numarası: 10.3390/chemosensors13070229
  • Dergi Adı: CHEMOSENSORS
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Aerospace Database, Communication Abstracts, INSPEC, Metadex, Directory of Open Access Journals, Civil Engineering Abstracts
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.229
  • Yıldız Teknik Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

In this study, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and AuNPs-graphene oxide (AuNPs@GO) nanostructures were synthesized in aqueous media using an in-situ photochemical method with bis-acyl phosphine oxide (BAPO) photoinitiator as a photoreducing agent in the presence of HAuCl4. The parameters for synthesis were arranged to obtain stable and reproducible dispersions with desirable chemical and optical properties. Both AuNPs and AuNPs@GO were employed as sensing platforms for the detection of epinephrine in two concentration ranges: micromolar (µM) and nanomolar (nM). Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), UV-Vis absorption, fluorescence emission, and Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy techniques were used to investigate the morphological, optical, and chemical properties of the nanostructures as well as their sensing ability towards epinephrine. Fluorescence spectroscopy played a crucial role in demonstrating the high sensitivity and effectiveness of these systems, especially in the low concentration (nM) range, confirming their strong potential as fluorescence-based sensors. By constructing calibration curves on best linear subranges, limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were calculated with two different approaches, SEintercept and Sy/x. Among all the investigated nanostructures, AuNPs@GO exhibited the highest sensitivity towards epinephrine. The efficiency and reproducibility of the in-situ photochemical AuNPs synthesis approach highlight its applicability in small-molecule detection and particularly in analytical and bio-sensing applications.