A Simple Method for Developing a Hand-Drawn Paper-Based Sensor for Mercury; Using Green Synthesized Silver Nanoparticles and Smartphone as a Hand-Held-Device for Colorimetric Assay

Abstract

Mercury ions are highly toxic at trace levels, and its pollution has posed a significant threat to the environment and public health, where current detection methods mainly require laborious operation and expensive instrumentation. Herein, a simple, cost-effective, instrument-free approach for selective detection of Hg2+ based on a hand-drawn paper-based naked-eye colorimetric device is developed. To develop a hand-drawn paper-based device, a crayon is used to build hydrophobic barriers and a paper puncher is applied to obtain patterns as a sensing zone. A green method for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) is applied using Achillea Wilhelmsii (Aw) extract. The sensing ability of Aw-AgNPs toward Hg2+ is investigated in both solution-phase and paper substrate loaded with Aw-AgNPs using colorimetric methods. For the paper-based sensor, the quantification of the target relies on the visual readout of a color-changed sensing zone modified with Aw-AgNPs. Under optimal conditions, the color of Aw-AgNPs in aqueous solution and on the coated paper substrate can change from brown to colorless upon addition of target, with a detection limit of 28 × 10−9 m and 0.30 × 10−6 m, respectively. In conclusion, the present study indicates the potential of this hand-drawn eco-friendly paper-based sensor for monitoring of mercury.