IIT Guwahati Develops Nanosensor for Detection of Cancer-Causing Water Pollutants

IIT Guwahati has developed a nanosensor capable of instantly detecting cancer-causing pollutants in water. Check details here

IIT Guwahati Develops Nanosensor for Detection of Cancer-Causing Water Pollutants

Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati have developed a novel sensor made from milk protein and thymine to detect mercury and tetracycline antibiotic contamination in water. Led by Prof. Lal Mohan Kundu from the Department of Chemistry, along with research scholars Pallabi Paul and Anushka Chakraborty, the sensor employs carbon dots and ultraviolet light for effective detection.

With rapid urbanisation, industrial growth, and excessive use of pharmaceuticals, water contamination has emerged as a critical global concern, threatening both ecosystems and human health. To tackle this challenge, researchers at IIT Guwahati have developed a nanosensor crafted from ultra-small materials just a few billionths of a meter in size. The sensor relies on carbon dots that emit a glow under ultraviolet light, which fades in the presence of toxic substances like mercury or tetracyclines, offering a quick and visible indication of contamination.

Speaking about the developed nanosensor, Prof. Lal Mohan Kundu, Professor, Department of Chemistry, IIT Guwahati, said, “Detection of pollutants such as Mercury and antibiotics is important, not only in water but also in biological fluids. Mercury is highly carcinogenic. Excess antibiotics also pose adverse health consequences. This sensor can detect Mercury and tetracyclines at a very low concentration. The sensor may also be used in biological systems. We chose carbon dots because of their nanoscale dimensions and inherent fluorescence property. This makes it a highly sensitive technique.”

IIT Guwahati Nanosensor for Detection of Cancer-Causing Water Pollutants

On a laboratory scale, the sensor demonstrated high accuracy, showing a measurable dimming of its glow in less than 10 seconds upon exposure to harmful contaminants. It proved to be extremely sensitive, detecting mercury at just 5.3 nanomolar (1.7 parts per billion), well below the safety limit set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and 10 - 13 nanomolar for tetracycline antibiotics.

The study detailing these findings has been published in the prestigious journal Microchimica Acta, co-authored by Prof. Lal Mohan Kundu. Beyond offering a low-cost and highly accurate alternative to conventional water testing methods, the biocompatibility of this novel sensor also opens avenues for broader biomedical applications in the future.

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