A nano-graphite-DNA hybrid sensor for magnified fluorescent detection of mercury(II) ions in aqueous solution

In this communication, we present a nano-graphite-DNA hybrid sensor for fluorescent detection of mercury(II) ions in aqueous solution for the first time. Furthermore, an amplification strategy based on nano-graphite for Hg2+ detection by using DNase I was demonstrated. The proposed amplified assay was simple and cost-effective with a limit of detection (LOD) for Hg2+ of 0.5 nM, which was about 20-fold lower than that of traditional unamplified homogeneous assays. We further demonstrated its practical application to detect Hg2+ in a real sample.