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Updated: May 20, 2026
An Anaerobic Biosensor Assay for the Detection of Mercury and Cadmium
Published on: December 17, 2018
Sensitive and selective detection of mercury (II) based on the aggregation of gold nanoparticles stabilized by
Dan Xu1, Hua Wen Zhao, Cheng Zhi Huang
1Department of Chemistry, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400038, PR China.
Abstract:
Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) can be stabilized by riboflavin against tris buffer-induced aggregation. However, in the presence of mercury (II) (Hg2+), riboflavin can be released from the AuNPs surface and the riboflavin-Hg2+ complex formed, leading to the aggregation of AuNPs in tris buffer. The aggregation extent depends on the concentration of Hg2+. Based on the aggregation extent, a simple and sensitive method of determining Hg2+ is developed. The method enables the detection of Hg2+ over the concentration range of 0.02-0.8 microM, with a detection limit (3sigma) of 14 nM, and shows excellent selectivity for Hg2+ over other metal ions (Cu2+, Co2+, Cd2+, Pb2+, Mg2+, Zn2+, Ag+, Ce3+, Ca2+, Al3+, K+). More importantly, the method avoids complicated surface modifications and tedious separation processes.
