Logic gates for multiplexed analysis of Hg2+ and Ag+

The design of devices with multiple functions, simple handling procedures and sufficient sensitivity has drawn great interests in the field of analysis. Metal-nucleotide based pairs, such as T-Hg(2+)-T and C-Ag(+)-C complexes accompanied by SYBR Green I (SG), are used to selectively bind duplex-strand DNA by observing a bright fluorescence signal in this work, thus yielding a simple method for the rapid detection of Hg(2+) and Ag(+) without a complex labeling process. Based on this principle, 'OR' and 'AND' logic gates for the multiplexed analysis of Hg(2+) and Ag(+) were developed, and their practical application for the detection of Hg(2+) and Ag(+) in drinking water was reported.