Click synthesis of podand triazole-linked gold nanoparticles as highly selective and sensitive colorimetric probes for lead(II) ions

Podand triazole-linked gold nanoparticles were designed via an in situ 'click' reaction. The resulting gold nanoparticles were characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy, FT-IR spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Podand triazole-linked gold nanoparticles were utilized as colorimetric probes for Pb2+ via Pb2+-induced gold nanoparticle aggregation which incorporates two podand molecules from different nanoparticles forming an intermolecule type of association. Moreover, the application of the resulting gold nanoparticles to evaluate the exceeding standard of lead ions in drinking water and leaded paint was investigated.