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Recent developments on nanomaterials-based optical sensors for Hg2+ detection

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Abstract

Mercuric ion (Hg2+), released from both natural and industrial sources, has severe adverse effects on human health and the environment even at very low concentrations. It is very important to develop a rapid and economical method for the detection of Hg2+ with high sensitivity and selectivity. Nanomaterials with unique size and shape-dependent optical properties are attractive sensing materials. The application of nanomaterials to design optical sensors for Hg2+ provides a powerful method for the trace detection of Hg2+ in the environment, because these optical sensors are simple, rapidly responsive, cost-effective and highly sensitive. This review summarizes the recent advances on the development of optical assays for Hg2+ in aqueous solution by using functionalized nanomaterials (including noble metal nanoparticles, fluorescent metal nanoclusters, semiconductor quantum dots and carbon nanodots). Detection strategies based on the Hg2+-induced changes in spectral absorbance, fluorescence intensity and surface-enhanced Raman scattering signals were described. And the design principles for each optical assay were presented. In addition, the future challenge and the prospect of the development of nanomaterial optical sensors for Hg2+ detection were also discussed.

摘要

汞离子(Hg2+)即使在微量浓度下也会给人类健康和环境带来危害, 因此发展快速、 经济、 具有高灵敏度和高选择性检测汞离子的方法是非常重要的. 纳米材料由于其优异的光学特性, 为环境中检测痕量汞离子的光学传感器的设计提供了一种强有力的手段. 纳米材料的光学传感器具有简单、 快速、 经济、 灵敏等优异特性. 本文综述了利用功能化纳米材料(包括贵金属, 金属团簇, 半导体量子点和碳点)检测汞离子的光学方法的最新进展, 分别描述了比色法、 荧光法和表面增强拉曼散射法对汞离子的检测路线. 我们给出了每种检测方法的检测原理, 同时也讨论了未来发展基于纳米材料检测汞离子的光学传感器的前景和挑战.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Chemistry and Material Science, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, 271018, China

    Junling Duan

  2. Key Laboratory of Colloid and Interface Chemistry, Ministry of Education, Department of Chemistry, Shandong University, Jinan, 250100, China

    Jinhua Zhan

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  1. Junling Duan
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  2. Jinhua Zhan
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Correspondence to Jinhua Zhan.

Additional information

Junling Duan was born in 1981. She received her PhD from the Department of Chemistry of Shandong University, Jinan, China, in 2012. Currently, she is a lecturer in the College of Chemistry and Material Science, Shandong Agricultural University. Her research interests include the development of nanomaterials-based optical sensors for the detection of heavy metal ions.

Jinhua Zhan was born in 1974 in Anhui Province of China. He received his BSc in Chemistry from Northeast Normal University in 1996, and PhD in Chemistry from University of Science and Technology of China in 2000. Then he became a postdoctoral fellow at Taiwan University. He joined the National Institute for Materials Science as a special researcher in 2003. He became a full professor of chemistry at Shandong University in 2006. Up to now, he has published more than 110 papers in the international peer-reviewed journals. These papers have been cited above 3000 times. His h-index reaches 33. His current research interests include nanomaterials synthesis and their applications for environmental sensors and biosensors.

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Duan, J., Zhan, J. Recent developments on nanomaterials-based optical sensors for Hg2+ detection. Sci. China Mater. 58, 223–240 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40843-015-0031-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40843-015-0031-8

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