A fast and sensitive colorimetric sensor for residual chlorine detection made with oxidized cellulose

Residual chlorine from widespread disinfection processes forms byproducts in water that are harmful to humans and ecosystems. Portable sensors are essential tools for the on-site monitoring of residual chlorine in environmental samples. Here, an inexpensive colorimetric sensor was developed by grafting via amidation the chromogen orthotolidine (OTO) to the surface of a TEMPO-oxidized cellulose filter paper (O-TOFP). A thorough characterization of the sensor strip demonstrated that it was highly stable and that it could be stored for a long period before usage. O-TOFP had a fast response time of 30 s, was highly selective for residual chlorine ions (ClO- ) with an accuracy of at least 95 %, and exhibited an excellent limit of detection of only 0.045 mg/L when combined with smartphone image acquisition. With its many positive features, the easy-to-use and robust OTOFP sensor described here could become a useful tool for the determination of residual chlorine in different water samples.