IIT Guwahati Unveils Low-Cost Nanosensor That Flags Mercury, Antibiotics in Seconds

Overview

• The nanosensor uses fluorescent carbon dots that visibly dim under ultraviolet light when mercury or tetracycline-class antibiotics are present.
• Laboratory measurements showed a detectable signal change in under 10 seconds.
• Reported detection limits include mercury at 5.3 nanomolar (about 1.7 parts per billion) and tetracyclines at 10^-13 nanomolar, with mercury sensitivity below US EPA benchmarks.
• Performance was assessed in tap and river water, milk, urine, and serum, and the sensor was transferred onto paper strips for UV-lamp on-site screening.
• The peer-reviewed study in Microchimica Acta, led by Prof. Lal Mohan Kundu, presents a low-cost, biocompatible approach that requires further testing before commercial use.