D-penicillamine-templated copper nanoparticles via ascorbic acid reduction as a mercury ion sensor

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Nanotechnology
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Mercury ions are highly toxic environmental pollutants requiring sensitive detection methods.
• Existing mercury detection techniques often lack sensitivity, specificity, or speed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel, green, and highly sensitive fluorescent assay for mercury ion detection.
• To synthesize and characterize D-penicillamine-capped copper nanoparticles (DPA-CuNPs) for this purpose.

Main Methods:

• Green synthesis of DPA-CuNPs using D-penicillamine and ascorbic acid.
• Characterization using SEM, TEM, FTIR, fluorescence, and UV-Vis spectroscopy.
• Development of a mercury ion assay based on fluorescence quenching of DPA-CuNPs.

Main Results:

• DPA-CuNPs exhibit strong red fluorescence with a large Stoke's shift (270nm), potentially due to aggregation-induced emission.
• Trace mercury ions effectively disperse DPA-CuNPs, causing significant fluorescence quenching.
• The developed assay quantifies mercury ions in the 1.0–30 μM range with a detection limit of 32 nM.
• Successful application in determining mercury ions in real water samples.

Conclusions:

• A novel and green fluorescent sensor based on DPA-CuNPs was successfully developed for mercury ion detection.
• The DPA-CuNPs assay demonstrates high sensitivity, selectivity, and applicability to real-world water samples.
• This method provides a promising tool for environmental monitoring of mercury pollution.