PVP capped silver nanocubes assisted removal of glyphosate from water-A photoluminescence study

Glyphosate [N-phosphono-methylglycine (PMG)] is the most used herbicide worldwide and it has been reported very recently that Glyphosate is very harmful and can produce lots of diseases such as alzheimer and parkinson's disease, depression, cancer, infertility including genotoxic effects. As it is mostly present in stable water body and ground water system, its detection and removal is very important. Here, we have shown a fluorescence technique for the removal of glyphosate from water using chemically synthesized polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) silver nanocrystals. Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) study shows the average size of silver nanocrystals of 100 nm approximately with a morphology of cubic shape. Glyphosate does not show absorption in the visible region. But both glyphosate and silver nanocrystals show strong fluorescence in the visible region. So, photoluminescence study has been successfully utilized to detect the glyphosate in water samples and on treating the glyphosate contaminated water sample with silver nanocrystals, the sample shows no emission peak of glyphosate at 458 nm. Thus, this approach is a promising and very rapid method for the detection and removal of glyphosate from water samples on treatment with silver nanocubes. NMR spectra further confirms that the silver nanocrystals treated contaminated water samples are glyphosate free.