Nanoparticle sensors detect arsenic in drinking water

Testing for arsenic in water currently requires expensive laboratory instruments that cannot be used for on-site detection and are unsuitable for developing nations.

Abbas and colleagues at LUMS in Pakistan hope to address this shortfall by designing a low-cost sensor that can detect arsenic in drinking water.

The sensor will be based on gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), which are excellent candidates for sensing applications as they absorb in the visible spectrum and change colour according to their size, shape and surface chemistry.