Equipment-free and visual detection of Pb2+ ion based on curcumin-modified bacterial cellulose nanofiber

In the present study, a novel colorimetric sensor was designed based on the curcumin embedded in bacterial cellulose nanofiber for the determination of lead (Pb 2+ ) ion in rice. Curcumin-modified bacterial cellulose nanofiber was characterized by FT-IR and FEG-SEM analyses. The fabricated chemosensor underwent a color change from orange to red in the presence of Pb 2+ . The selectivity of the sensor was examined by its challenging against the various heavy metal ions, such as Ba 2+ , Ca 2+ , Cd 2+ , Mg 2+ , Ni 2+ and Zn 2+ ions. The results proved that the developed sensor was selective toward Pb2 + ion. The sensing method provides the advantages of simplicity and cost-effectiveness for the quantitative detection of Pb 2+ with the detection limits of 9 µM and 0.9 µM through observation with naked eye and image processing, respectively. The designed chemosensor is promising to be a low-cost and portable device for the on-site and real-time monitoring of Pb 2+ ion.