In this study, we aimed to develop a simple, biocompatible and selective colorimetric sensor strip for detection of lead (Pb2+) using curcumin loaded cellulose acetate (CC-CA) nanofibers. The nanofibers were fabricated by electrospinning method. Curcumin functionalized nanofibers were characterized by various techniques such as polarizing optical microscope, spectrofluorometry, FTIR and HR-TEM. The average diameter of the optimized polymeric nanofibers is 104 + 0.016 nm. The fabricated sensor strips undergo a color change from yellow to orange on interaction with Pb2-1. The selectivity of the sensor system was studied against various heavy metal ions such as Ba2+, Ca2+, Co2+, Ni2+ , Mg2+ , Ni2+ and Zn2+ and was observed that the sensor system was selective towards Pb2+. This method provides the advantages of simplicity and cost efficiency for quantitative detection of Pb2+ with a detection limit of 20 OA by visually and 0.12 +/- 0.01 mu M from the linear graph with the co-efficient of 0.997. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work reporting on detection of Pb2+ based on curcumin nanofibers and the results are promising for development of low-cost disposable sensors for rapid and real-time applications. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.