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New application of a traditional method: colorimetric sensor array for reducing sugars based on the in-situ formation of core-shell gold nanorod-coated silver nanoparticles by the traditional Tollens reaction

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Abstract

An effective and robust colorimetric sensor array for simultaneous detection and discrimination of five reducing sugars (i.e., glyceraldehyde (Gly), fructose (Fru), glucose (Glu), maltose (Mal), and ribose (Rib)) has been proposed. In the sensor array, two negatively charged polydielectrics (sodium polystyrenesulfonate (NaPSS) and sodium polymethacrylate (NaPMAA)), which served as the sensing elements, were individually absorbed on the surface of the cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)-coated gold nanorods (AuNR) with positive charges through electrostatic action, forming the designed sensor units (NaPSS-AuNR and NaPMAA-AuNR). In the presence of Tollens reagent (Ag(NH3)2OH), Ag+ was absorbed on the surface of negatively charged NaPSS-AuNR and NaPMAA-AuNRs. When confronted with differential reducing sugars, different reducing sugars exhibited differential levels of deoxidizing abilities toward Ag+, thus Ag+ was reduced to diverse amounts of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) in situ to form core-shell AuNR@AgNP by the traditional Tollens reaction method, leading to distinct colorimetric response patterns (value of AS/AL (the ratio of absorbance at 360 nm to that at 760 nm in Ag+-NaPMAA-AuNR, and the ratio of absorbance at 360 nm to that at 740 nm in Ag+-NaPSS-AuNR)). These response patterns are characteristic for each reducing sugar, and can be quantitatively distinguished by linear discriminant analysis (LDA) at concentrations as low as 10 nM with relative standard deviation (RSD) of 4.11% (n = 3). The practicability of this sensor array has been validated by recognition of reducing sugars in serum and urine samples.

Graphical abstract

A colorimetric sensor array for reducing sugar discrimination based on the reduction of Ag+ and in situ formation of AuNR@AgNP.

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Funding

This work was partially supported by Scientific Research Project of Beijing Educational Committee (KM202010028007), Beijing Natural Science Foundation Program (2192010), Youth Innovative Research Team of Capital Normal University (19530050149), and Capacity Building for Sci-Tech Innovation-Fundamental Scientific Research Funds (19530050179).

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Author notes

  1. Xin Zhang, Zihan Wang and Ziyuan Liu contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, Capital Normal University, Beijing, 100048, China

    Xin Zhang, Ziyuan Liu, Bin Liu, Rufen Wu, Zhengbo Chen & Xia Zuo

  2. College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China

    Zihan Wang

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  1. Xin Zhang
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  2. Zihan Wang
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  3. Ziyuan Liu
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  4. Bin Liu
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  7. Xia Zuo
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Correspondence to Zhengbo Chen or Xia Zuo.

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Zhang, X., Wang, Z., Liu, Z. et al. New application of a traditional method: colorimetric sensor array for reducing sugars based on the in-situ formation of core-shell gold nanorod-coated silver nanoparticles by the traditional Tollens reaction. Microchim Acta 188, 142 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-021-04796-z

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