An IMPLICATION logic gate based on citrate-capped gold nanoparticles with thiocyanate and iodide as inputs.

Herein we developed an IMPLICATION logic gate based on citrate-capped AuNPs by employing thiocyanate (SCN(-)) and iodide (I(-)) as inputs, and devised a colorimetric sensor for the determination of I(-) with good selectivity and sensitivity. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first example in which two species of anions serve as inputs to obtain visually observed Boolean outputs. Under the optimum conditions, 0.8 μM I(-) could induce a significant color change and be recognized by the naked eye. The detection limit is 50 nM by using UV-vis spectroscopy.