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A colorimetric probe for the rapid and selective determination of mercury(II) based on the disassembly of gold nanorods

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Abstract

We report on a novel mercury(II)-controlled approach for the disassembly of gold nanorods (AuNRs) that has led to a detection system for Hg(II). The modified AuNRs were fabricated by functionalizing AuNRs with L-cysteine via a thiol group chemisorption-type of interaction. L-cysteine induces the assembly of AuNRs through cooperative electrostatic interaction upon which the color of the solution of the AuNRs changes from blue-green to gray dark. The addition of Hg(II), in turn, causes the disassembly of the modified AuNRs and the color of the solution returns to blue-green. This effect enables the optical determination of Hg(II) in aqueous solution, with a linear response in the 0.5 to 250 μM Hg(II) concentration range, an excellent selectivity for Hg(II), and with recoveries ranging from 99 % to 106 % in spiked environmental water samples.

A novel mercury-controlled approach for the disassembly of L-cysteine-modified Au nanorods was proposed, with which a simple, specific and sensitive assay for Hg2+ was developed.

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Acknowledgements

The authors greatly appreciate the financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 21005033, 21105038), Specialized Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education (No. 20103227120017), Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province of China (No. BK2011242) and China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (No. 201104514, 20100481098).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of the Environment, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, China

    Guo-Xi Liang, Haoqi Zhang, Zhixiang Han & Xiangyang Wu

  2. School of Pharmacy, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, China

    Li Wang

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  1. Guo-Xi Liang
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  2. Li Wang
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Correspondence to Guo-Xi Liang or Xiangyang Wu.

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Liang, GX., Wang, L., Zhang, H. et al. A colorimetric probe for the rapid and selective determination of mercury(II) based on the disassembly of gold nanorods. Microchim Acta 179, 345–350 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-012-0882-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-012-0882-6

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