[Research of Hg2+ sol-gel membrane made of organically modified silicates]

A photochemical sensor for the determination of Hg2+ consisting of organically modified silicates (ormosils) was developed. Hg(2+)-sensitive fluorescent sol-gel films were prepared by co-condensation of tetramethoxysilane (TMOS) and dimethyldimethoxysilane (DMOS), and the fluorescent indicator 5,10,15, 20-tetra (p-sulfonatophenyl) porphyrin sodium was embedded in sol-gel in the form of ion pairs with cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide. The optimization condition of preparation and response performance of sol-gel membrane were investigated. The experimental results showed a linear range of Hg2+ concentrations from 1.0 x 10(-5) to 1.0 x 10(-4) mol x L(-1) in a Tris-HCl buffer at pH 8.0 with fast response and good repetition. The indicators in the sol-gel membrane did not leak out and the sensor showed good selectivity over other metal ions.