Measurement of mercury with highly selective fluorescent chemoprobe by carbon dots and silver nanoparticles

This work describes a novel fluorescent chemoprobe that uses carbon dots and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) to monitor mercury ions in aqueous samples attributed to the principle of inner filter effect. The fluorescent response signal of the carbon dots is diminished by AgNPs, attributed to inner filter effect, and is restored with the addition of Hg2+. The fluorescent chemoprobe was specific over the range from 0.01 to 2.5 mu M and a high sensitivity of 3.6 nM. The chemoprobe was validated using real local aqueous samples, and the spike recoveries of 97.4%-103% were excellent and satisfied. The data indicated that the developed fluorescent chemoprobe was sensitive, selective, stable and reliable. This fluorescent chemoprobe provides a sensitive tool with broad prospects for mercury detection in aqueous samples and the work will offer ideas for designing and constructing novel fluorescent probes. (C) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study developed a fluorescent chemoprobe using carbon dots and silver nanoparticles to monitor mercury ions, showing high sensitivity and good recoveries. The data indicated that the fluorescent chemoprobe was sensitive, selective, stable, and reliable, providing a new tool for mercury detection in aqueous samples.