Electrochemical detection of Hg(II) ions based on nanoporous gold nanoparticles modified indium tin oxide electrode

Nanoporous gold nanoparticles (np-Au NPs), dispersed on the indium tin oxide film coated glass, were firstly employed to fabricate Hg(II) sensing platform in differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry (DPASV). The np-Au NPs integrated the features of highly porous nanoparticles and the high affinity of gold nanomaterials for mercury, which endowed the sensing platform with high sensitivity and good reproducibility. Following optimization of the method, a calibration curve from 0.1 to 10 mu g/L Hg(II) was obtained in HCl solution. The detection limit was 0.03 mu g/L (0.15 nM) at a signal-to noise ratio of 3. The interference from other heavy metal ions associated with Hg(II) detection could be effectively avoided. The performance of the proposed electrode was also applied in the detection of trace Hg(II) in different real samples with satisfactory results. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.