A one-step homogeneous plasmonic circular dichroism detection of aqueous mercury ions using nucleic acid functionalized gold nanorods

In this work, we report the application of gold nanorods ladder assemblies as chiroptical sensors for detecting mercury ions (Hg2+). By taking advantage of the Hg2+-mediated T-T base pair of DNA and the high sensitivity of CD measurements, the method offers a simple and sensitive detection of target Hg2+ residues in water. Therefore, the developed method will be a promising tool for monitoring heavy metal ions, other small molecules and biomacromolecules.