Highly Selective Colorimetric Detection of Copper Ions Using Cysteamine Functionalized Gold Nanoparticles

In this study, we designed a system of integrating gold nanoparticles and cysteamine to detect Cu (2+) based on a colorimetric strategy. The quantified limit of detection towards Cu2+ is 0.4 mu M, which is similar to 50 times lower than the maximum contamination level (similar to 20 mu M) in drinking water permitted by US environmental protection agency. The practicality of this system was further validated by detecting Cu2+ in different water samples.