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Published on: April 11, 2013
Hydrogel-confined fluorescent copper nanoparticles for intelligent, anti-interference mercury ion detection with
Xiaoxia Mao1, Deyu Chen1, Mengqin Shi1
1Anhui Provincial Key Laboratory of Intelligent Monitoring and Productivity Improvement of Cultivated Land, Anqing Normal University, Anhui Province, Anqing 246011, PR China.
Abstract:
The detection of mercury ions (Hg2+) in food is important because Hg2+ is a highly toxic heavy metal ion that can cause severe health risks even at trace levels. The majority of detection techniques, however, are limited in their suitability for on-site testing due to their high equipment and personnel requirements. Here, we introduce a CuNPs@hydrogel bioreactor that is easy to operate and made for precise on-site Hg2+ screening in challenging conditions. The detection kit's high accuracy, stability, and portability, as shown by experimental results, allow for intelligent detection of Hg2+ with a detection limit as low as 0.13 μM and a detection range of 0.01-200 μM. Moreover, when the kit was applied to real samples such as milk and tea, it achieved favorable recovery rates. Notably, by enabling smartphone-based visual detection of Hg2+ without costly instrumentation, this portable detection kit shows potential for on-site environmental and food-safety monitoring.
