Colorimetric peroxidase mimetic assay for uranyl detection in sea water

Uranyl (UO2(2+)) is a form of uranium in aqueous solution that represents the greatest risk to human health because of its bioavailability. Different sensing techniques have been used with very sensitive detection limits especially the recently reported uranyl-specific DNAzymes systems. However, to the best of our knowledge, few efficient detection methods have been reported for uranyl sensing in seawater. Herein, gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) are employed in an efficient spectroscopic method to detect uranyl ion (UO2(2+)) with a detection limit of 1.86 μM. In the absence of UO2(2+), the BSA-stabilized AuNCs (BSA-AuNCs) showed an intrinsic peroxidase-like activity. In the presence of UO2(2+), this activity can be efficiently restrained. The preliminary quenching mechanism and selectivity of UO2(2+) was also investigated and compared with other ions. This design strategy could be useful in understanding the binding affinity of protein-stabilized AuNCs to UO2(2+) and consequently prompt the recycling of UO2(2+) from seawater.