Binding Affinity of a Highly Sensitive Au/Ag/Au/Chitosan-Graphene Oxide Sensor Based on Direct Detection of Pb(2+) and Hg(2+) Ions

The study of binding affinity is essential in surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensing because it allows researchers to quantify the affinity between the analyte and immobilised ligands of an SPR sensor. In this study, we demonstrate the derivation of the binding affinity constant, K, for Pb(2+) and Hg(2+) ions according to their SPR response using a gold/silver/gold/chitosan–graphene oxide (Au/Ag/Au/CS–GO) sensor for the concentration range of 0.1–5 ppm. The higher affinity of Pb(2+) to binding with the CS–GO sensor explains the outstanding sensitivity of 2.05 °ppm(−1) against 1.66 °ppm(−1) of Hg(2+). The maximum signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) upon detection of Pb(2+) is 1.53, and exceeds the suggested logical criterion of an SNR. The Au/Ag/Au/CS–GO SPR sensor also exhibits excellent repeatability in Pb(2+) due to the strong bond between its functional groups and this cation. The adsorption data of Pb(2+) and Hg(2+) on the CS–GO sensor fits well with the Langmuir isotherm model where the affinity constant, K, of Pb(2+) and Hg(2+) ions is computed. The affinity of Pb(2+) ions to the Au/Ag/Au/CS–GO sensor is significantly higher than that of Hg(2+) based on the value of K, 7 × 10(5) M(−1) and 4 × 10(5) M(−1), respectively. The higher shift in SPR angles due to Pb(2+) and Hg(2+) compared to Cr(3+), Cu(2+) and Zn(2+) ions also reveals the greater affinity of the CS–GO SPR sensor to them, thus supporting the rationale for obtaining K for these two heavy metals. This study provides a better understanding on the sensing performance of such sensors in detecting heavy metal ions.