Document Type
Student Research Paper
Date
Spring 2019
Academic Department
Chemistry and Biochemistry
Faculty Advisor(s)
Thomas E. Hagan, Jr.
Abstract
Heavy metal contamination is one of the main issues preventing people from accessing drinkable water in developing countries. Current methods of metal detection require a highly trained user and do not allow for quick and inexpensive testing in low-resource regions. This project seeks to integrate metal sensitive dyemodified polymer nanoparticles into a lateral flow assay design to develop a lowcost water quality test. Specifically, a control nanoparticle was developed using a pH-sensitive fluorescein dye derivative. The dye was covalently bound to poly(acrylic acid) by an amide linkage, and nanoparticles were formed by a microemulsion technique. The pH response of various nanoparticles was characterized by fluorescence and absorption spectroscopy, and as expected, the signal intensity increased with basicity. This fluorescein-poly(acrylic acid) nanoparticle will be used to indicate that a lateral flow test result is valid.
Recommended Citation
Young, Haley L., "Development of pH Responsive Nanoparticles for Integration into a Lateral Flow Assay for Heavy Metal Detection" (2019). Chemistry: Student Scholarship & Creative Works. 10.
https://jayscholar.etown.edu/chemstu/10
Notes
Senior thesis.