Synergistic optical sensing: Selective colorimetric analysis of copper in environmental and biological samples

[Display omitted] •Sensor membrane formed by using synergistic effect of TOPO.•The sensor changes color due to Cu2+ uptake in buffer of pH 4.5.•The detection limit of the sensor was found to be 1.5 × 10−9 M of Cu2+.•Beer’s law was obeyed in the range of 5.0 × 10−9 to 7.50 × 10−5 M.•The method was applied to detect Cu2+ in real samples. A groundbreaking optical sensing membrane has been engineered for the accurate assessment of copper ions. The pliable poly(vinyl chloride) membrane is formulated through the integration of sodium tetraphenylborate (Na-TPB), 4-(2-hydroxy-4-nitro azobenzene)-2-methyl-quinoline (HNAMQ), and tri-n-octyl phosphine oxide (TOPO), in conjunction with o-nitrophenyl octyl ether (o-NPOE). The sensor membrane undergoes a thorough investigation of its composition to optimize performance, revealing that HNAMQ serves a dual role as both an ionophore and a chromoionophore. Simultaneously, TOPO contributes to enhancing the complexation of HNAMQ with copper ions. Demonstrating a linear range for Cu2+ ions spanning from 5.0 × 10−9 to 7.5 × 10−6 M, the proposed sensor membrane showcases detection and quantification limits of 1.5 × 10−9 and 5.0 × 10−9 M, respectively. Rigorous assessments of potential interferences from other cations and anions revealed no observable disruptions in the detection of Cu2+. With no discernible HNAMQ leaching, the membrane demonstrates rapid response times and excellent durability. The sensor exhibits remarkable selectivity for Cu2+ ions and can be regenerated through exposure to 0.05 M EDTA. Successful application of the sensor in determining the presence of Cu2+ in biological (blood, liver and meat), soil, food (coffee, black tea, sour cherry juice, black currant, and milk powder) and environmental water samples underscores its efficacy.