Carboxymethyl-dithiocarbamate-functionalized silica nanoparticles for naked-eye detection of Ag+ in aqueous medium

Abstract We prepared the carboxymethyl-dithiocarbamate-functionalized silica nanoparticle for detecting silver ions in aqueous media. The functionalized silica nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. The functionalized silica nanoparticles realize highly sensitive and selective detection for Ag + in aqueous solution with an apparent color change over a pH range of 4–6 and under interfering ions. The functionalized silica nanoparticles allow fast detection for Ag + at 90 °C with a low minimum detectable concentration (0.09 mM). And a remarkable color change also occurs in the presence of Ag + solutions containing EDTA. This developed technique can easy and fast detect silver ions by the naked eye without using any sophisticated instrumentation. Graphical Abstract