AuNPs@UiO-66-(COOH)2–NH2/Eu for ratiometric fluorescent and colorimetric sensing of trace inorganic mercury in water samples

Background due to the toxicity and widespread distribution of inorganic mercury ions (Hg 2+ ), it is a crucial task for researchers to develop simple methods for field analysis of water samples for trace Hg 2+ . Result a colorimetric and ratiometric fluorescent dual-mode assay based on bifunctional UiO–(COOH) 2 –NH 2 /Eu and gold nanocomplexes (AuNPs@UiO–(COOH) 2 –NH 2 /Eu) was constructed for the sensitive, selective and potentially on-site determination of Hg 2+ . The incorporation of Hg 2+ resulted in the formation of gold amalgam, which enhanced peroxidase-like activity of AuNPs@UiO–(COOH) 2 –NH 2 /Eu, accelerating the oxidization of zymolyte 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB). Concurrently, the color of the reaction solution turned blue, and the RGB (red, green, and blue) of the solution color changed accordingly. The fluorescence at 618 nm was almost unchanged with the increase of Hg 2+ concentration, whereas the fluorescence at 460 nm was obviously quenched due to the inner filter effect (IFE). Under UV irradiation, the fluorescence emission of the sensing system changed from blue to red, enabling easy visual detection. The probe showed great linearity over a wide range of 20–1200 nM (colorimetric) and 50–4000 nM (fluorescent), with limits of detection (LODs) of 8 nM and 3 nM, respectively. Significance the proposed method was successfully applied to the determination of trace Hg 2+ in tap water and groundwater, while the use of a smartphone enables its simplicity and portability. The results show that the colorimetric and ratiometric fluorescent dual-mode method based on AuNPs@UiO–(COOH) 2 –NH 2 /Eu can achieve rapid visual determination of Hg 2+ potentially useful for on-site analysis.