Colorimetric Determination of pH Values using Silver Nanoparticles Conjugated with Cytochrome c

Some of metal nanoparticles have the potential for use as colorimetric assays for estimating solution properties, such as pH and temperature due to localized surface plasmon (LSP) phenomena. This report describes the use of silver nanoparticles (AgNP) conjugated with cytochrome c (Cyt c) for the colorimetric determination of solution pHs. When the pH of a solution decreases, the Cyt c immobilized on the AgNP undergoes a conformational change, leading to a decrease in the interparticle distance between Cyt c-AgNP probes and consequent red-shift in LSP. As a result, the color of the Cyt c-AgNP probe solution changes from yellow to red and finally to a grayish blue in the pH range from 11 to 3. This gradual color change can be used to determine the pH of a solution over a wide pH range, compared to other colorimetric methods that use gold nanoparticles.