A benzothiazole-based receptor-immobilised silica nanoparticle as chemosensor for Hg2+

Abstract

Fluorogenic benzothiazole-based receptor has been easily immobilised onto filter paper and silica nanoparticle by sol-gel reaction. The sensing ability of the benzothiazole-immobilised thin layer filter paper chromatography (TLC-1) was evaluated on the basis of fluorescent changes caused by metal ions that were dropped onto the TLC plate. The TLC-1 exhibited a high affinity and selectivity for Hg2+ over other competing metal ions. Therefore, the TLC-1 holds promise as a portable sensor for the detection of Hg2+ in aqueous solution. Furthermore, the adsorption capacity of a column packed with SiO2-1 was evaluated by the application of metal ions under various experimental conditions, such as pH, flow rate and concentration. The SiO2-1 column removed 98% of Hg2+ from drinking water containing 10ppb of Hg2+. The adsorption capacity of the SiO2-1 column was not strongly affected by pH and flow rates.