Highly sensitive and selective colorimetric sensing of Hg2+ based on the morphology transition of silver nanoprisms.

A simple colorimetric approach for mercury ion (Hg(2+)) sensing was developed that was based on the Hg(2+)-induced deprotection and morphology transition of 1-dodecanethiol (C(12)H(25)SH)-capped silver nanoprisms (Ag NPRs) upon the presence of iodides at room temperature. The abstraction of C(12)H(25)SH from the surface of Ag NPRs by Hg(2+) led to their deprotection of Ag NPRs and the formation of complexation between silver ions and excess iodide ions. Also, the silver atoms were consumed and moved from the surface of Ag NPRs, accompanying the changes in the particle morphology that resulted in a change of color and UV-vis absorption spectra of the colloidal solution. With increasing concentrations of Hg(2+) from 10 to 500 nM, the surface plasma resonance spectral band of Ag NPRs emerged as a blue shift and exhibited a good linear relationship, and the limit of detection was 3.3 nM. Furthermore, the developed method was applied for detecting Hg(2+) in different real water samples with satisfying recoveries over 92%.