Issue 102, 2016, Issue in Progress

Monitoring and quantification of the complex bioaccumulation process of mercury ion in algae by a novel aggregation-induced emission fluorogen

Abstract

In this study, a novel methodology was developed using a specified aggregation-induced emission fluorogen (AIEgen) to monitor and quantify the complex bioaccumulation process in a microcosm aquatic ecosystem. Mercury ion (Hg2+) was used as the pollutant and Euglena gracilis as a representative algal species in water, to develop this new methodology for understanding the processes of bioaccumulation and biorelease of a heavy metal in algae. AIEgen can easily detect Hg2+ in the environment by the “turn-on” feature, and a relationship was built among photoluminescence (PL) intensity, AIEgen concentration, and Hg2+ concentration. The AIEgen was effectively used for quantifying Hg2+ concentration in the bioaccumulation process by reading the PL intensity of the solution. Bioaccumulation, bioaccumulation efficiency, and the ratio of Hg2+ in Euglena gracilis cells and the environment were carefully characterized by this novel method and the results were further validated with the existing well-established analytical method. The quantitative detection of Hg2+ absorption and release from the algae by the AIEgen demonstrates a novel, green, and sustainable approach to understand the dynamics of Hg2+ between aquatic organisms and the environment.

Graphical abstract: Monitoring and quantification of the complex bioaccumulation process of mercury ion in algae by a novel aggregation-induced emission fluorogen

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
05 Sep 2016
Accepted
16 Oct 2016
First published
17 Oct 2016

RSC Adv., 2016,6, 100318-100325

Monitoring and quantification of the complex bioaccumulation process of mercury ion in algae by a novel aggregation-induced emission fluorogen

Y. Jiang, Y. Chen, M. Alrashdi, W. Luo, B. Z. Tang, J. Zhang, J. Qin and Y. Tang, RSC Adv., 2016, 6, 100318 DOI: 10.1039/C6RA22190D

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