Fluorescent Gold Nanoprobes for the Sensitive and Selective Detection for Hg2+

A simple, cost-effective yet rapid and sensitive sensor for on-site and real-time Hg2+ detection based on bovine serum albumin functionalized fluorescent gold nanoparticles as novel and environmentally friendly fluorescent probes was developed. Using this probe, aqueous Hg2+ can be detected at 0.1 nM in a facile way based on fluorescence quenching. This probe was also applied to determine the Hg2+ in the lake samples, and the results demonstrate low interference and high sensitivity.