Development of ion exchange ligands with high separation performance and colorimetric analysis using gold nanoparticles decorated with the functional ligands

Shimojo, Kojiro   

Development of metal separating reagents with high selectivity is necessary for efficient separation and recovery of valuable metals contained in industrial wastes, and removal and detection of toxic metals. We have developed novel metal separating ligands with a diglycolamic acid (DGAA) framework. The ligands have a tridentate coordination structure consisting of an amide group and a carboxy group connected by an ether chain and provide a metal separation ability superior to that of commercial ligands. Since the ligands can be synthesized simply in one step, this helps to reduce the production costs of the ligands. In the present review article, we report the extraction characteristics of DGAA-type ligand for 56 kinds of metal ions, extraction separation of rare-earth metal ions, and removal of toxic metal ions. Furthermore, a one-pot biological approach to fabricate DGAA-decorated gold nanoparticles has been developed using the DGAA-type ligand fused to the N-terminus of a gold-binding peptide. It was found that the DGAA-decorated gold nanoparticles can act as a high-sensitive colorimetric sensor for detecting toxic metal ions with color change.