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Updated: Mar 8, 2026

An Anaerobic Biosensor Assay for the Detection of Mercury and Cadmium
Published on: December 17, 2018
Highly selective and quantitative colorimetric detection of mercury(II) ions by carrageenan-functionalized Ag/AgCl
Kannan Badri Narayanan1, Sung Soo Han1
1School of Chemical Engineering, Yeungnam University, 280 Daehak-Ro, Gyeongsan, Gyeongbuk 38541, Republic of Korea; Department of Nano, Medical & Polymer Materials, College of Engineering, Yeungnam University, 280 Daehak-Ro, Gyeongsan, Gyeongbuk 38541, Republic of Korea.
Abstract:
The natural algal polysaccharide carrageenan was used for the greener synthesis of silver/silver chloride nanoparticles (Carr-Ag/AgCl NPs) without any toxic chemicals. We report the robust, highly selective, and sensitive colorimetric sensing of Hg2+ ions using Carr-Ag/AgCl NPs without any further surface modification. The dark-brown color of a solution of Carr-Ag/AgCl NPs turned to white in a concentration-dependent manner with the addition of Hg2+ ions, confirming the interaction of Carr-Ag/AgCl NPs with Hg2+ ions. The plot of the extinction ratio of absorbance at 350nm to 450nm (A350/A450) for Carr-Ag/AgCl NPs against the concentration of [Hg2+] ions was linear, and the calibration curve was A350/A450=1.05254+0.00318×CHg with a lower detection limit of 1μM. This portable and cost-effective method for mercury(II) ion sensing is widely applicable in on-field qualitative and quantitative measurements of [Hg2+] ions in environmental or biological samples.
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