Effect of pyridinium based ionic liquid on the sensing property of Ni0 nanoparticle for the colorimetric detection of hydrogen peroxide

In this work, we presented a new colorimetric technique for the easy and quick detection of hydrogen peroxide. Two types of ionic liquids namely imidazolium and pyridinium containing cations with an acetate anion were evaluated in this study. Ni nanoparticle is synthesized using the wet chemical method, which is further characterized using various analytical techniques. Ni nanoparticles coated with pyridinium based ionic liquid showed robust peroxidase-like activity, which resulted in better dispersion of nickel nanoparticle and is able to quickly catalyze the oxidation reaction of substrate 3,3,5,5-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), leading to the generation of a blue-colored solution. On the basis of color development, colorimetric sensing of [Pyr]Ac- Ni0 was achieved with a detection limit (LOD) of 120 μM/L within a linear range of 400–4000 μM. The proposed method is significantly selective for [Pyr]Ac- Ni0and can be conveniently and affordably applied to the detection of hydrogen peroxide without any complicated instrumentation. •Effect of ionic liquid types on sensing of Ni nanoparticle.•Pyridinium based ionic liquid showed robust peroxidase-like activity.•The sensing system generates a blue colored solution.