Simple and fast colorimetric detection of inorganic arsenic selectively adsorbed onto ferrihydrite-coated silica gel using silver nanoplates

•Simple and fast colorimetric detection of inorganic arsenic using silver nanoplates.•Ferrihydrite-coated silica gel, absorbent, for arsenite and arsenate.•Low reagent consumption.

The optical detection for inorganic arsenic (As) semi-quantitative determination is presented by using silver nanoplates (AgNPls). The color of AgNPs is immediately changed in the presence of As(III) and As(V) with the same sensitivity. To improve the selectivity of AgNPls for As detection, ferrihydrite-coated silica gel (SiO2-Fh) was specifically exploited as adsorbent for arsenic prior to As detection by AgNPls. The developed method provides the detection limit of 0.5 ppm with the detection range between 0.5 ppm and 30.0 ppm for As determination observed with naked eye, and allows to determine total inorganic arsenic. This is the first report of As detection approach combining As removal technology together with nanotechnology. This combined technique provides a rapid, sensitive and selective method for monitoring As levels in aqueous samples, and can be employed as a testing field kit to screen arsenic contamination outside of a laboratory.

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