Alginate stabilized silver nanocube-Rh6G composite as a highly selective mercury sensor in aqueous solution.

Alginate-stabilized silver nanocubes are synthesized via a reduction method and are characterized by UV-Vis and fluorescence spectroscopies, SEM, AFM and HRTEM analyses. A silver nanocubes (Ag NCbs) based sensor for detecting Hg2+ ions in aqueous solution has been developed using Rh6G as an external spectroscopic probe. Using this system, Hg2+ ions (as low as 1×10(-10) mol L(-1)) are recognized in aqueous media via a colorimetric method with very high selectivity and sensitivity over other metal ions namely Fe2+, Zn2+, Pb2+, Cu2+, Sn2+, Cd2+, Ni2+, and Co2+.