Trace level determination of Hg2+ ions in environmental samples with a mercaptotriazole-functionalized TiO2 nanostructure-based fluorescent probe

Abstract

A highly selective and sensitive fluorescent probe for the determination of Hg²⁺ ions is reported using substituted mercaptotriazole functionalized TiO₂ nanoparticles (MMT@TiO₂). The functionalized TiO₂ nanoparticles were characterized by UV-vis spectrophotometric, spectrofluorometric, FT-IR, FT-Raman, XPS, TEM, SEM, EDAX and P-XRD analyses. The interaction of Hg²⁺ ions with functionalized MMT@TiO₂ induced aggregation of nanoparticles causing chelation enhanced fluorescence. The limit of detection and limit of quantitation for the determination of Hg²⁺ ions were found to be 2.18 × 10⁻¹⁰ M and 6.61 × 10⁻¹⁰ M, respectively. The method developed was successfully applied for the determination of Hg²⁺ ions in environmental samples.