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IIT Guwahati has developed a nanosensor made from milk protein that can instantly detect cancer-risk Mercury and tetracycline antibiotics in water and biological samples.
IIT Guwahati Creates Nanosensor for Instant Detection of Harmful Water Pollutants.
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati have developed a novel nanosensor that can quickly detect Mercury and tetracycline antibiotics in water. The research, led by Prof. Lal Mohan Kundu from the Department of Chemistry, along with his scholars Pallabi Paul and Anushka Chakraborty, uses milk protein and thymine-based carbon dots that glow under ultraviolet light.
Rapid urbanisation, industrialisation, and excessive use of pharmaceuticals are increasing water contamination worldwide, posing serious risks to human health and ecosystems.
Tetracyclines, a commonly used class of antibiotics for respiratory infections, can enter the environment if not disposed of properly, leading to antibiotic resistance and other health hazards. Mercury, even in small amounts, can cause cancer, neurological disorders, and cardiovascular diseases. Detecting these pollutants quickly is crucial for public health and water safety.
How The Nanosensor Works?
The sensor works at the nanoscale, using carbon dots that emit a glow under ultraviolet light. When Mercury or tetracycline antibiotics are present, the glow dims, providing an instant signal of contamination.
Prof. Kundu said, “Detection of pollutants such as Mercury and antibiotics is important, not only in water but also in biological fluids. Mercury is highly carcinogenic. Excess antibiotics also pose adverse health consequences. This sensor can detect Mercury and tetracyclines at a very low concentration. We have been working with carbon dots for some time now. For this project, my research scholar Pallabi and Master’s student Anushka synthesised the carbon dots from low-cost and biogenic precursor milk protein and thymine, a nucleobase.”
“The sensor may also be used in biological systems. We chose carbon dots because of their nanoscale dimensions and inherent fluorescence property. This makes it a highly sensitive technique,” he added.
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Fast And Highly Sensitive Detection
On a laboratory scale, the sensor can detect contaminants in less than 10 seconds. It can identify Mercury at 5.3 nanomolar (1.7 ppb) and tetracyclines at 10–13 nanomolar, which are below safety standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The sensor has been tested in tap water, river water, milk, urine, and serum samples, showing accurate results in various environments. To make testing easier, researchers have also coated the sensor onto simple paper strips, allowing on-the-spot detection using an ultraviolet lamp.
The findings, published in the journal Microchimica Acta, show that the sensor is low-cost, highly accurate, and biocompatible, making it a promising tool for future biomedical applications beyond water testing.
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