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

Abstract

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⁺.