Optical and Electrochemical Sensing with Gold Nanoparticles

Thin-film structures containing gold nanoparticles can be used to detect contaminants and target molecules in liquids by both optical and electrochemical means. An important stage in developing such sensors is forming a layer of gold nanoparticles with appropriate properties on the sensor surface. For this process, preparative cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry were used in our work, and continuous optical monitoring was applied using an ellipsometer. In the future, we aim to develop a heavy metal detection sensor to evaluate liquid samples conveniently at the sampling site. Such technology would allow us to reduce the logistical problems and time loss associated with the analysis of drinking water.