Colorimetric detection of mercury based on a strip sensor

Abstract

Environmental pollution with mercury is a global problem. A fast and accurate detection method is urgently required as an alternative to instrument detection, whose cost is very high. Here we present a sensor for mercury (Hg(II)) detection which has promising analytical applications. The sample treatment process was integrated with the antibody–antigen reaction process. Adequate pre-treatment time before the test resulted in high sensitivity. The strip results showed an excellent linear relationship with the concentration of Hg(II) between 1 and 10 ng mL⁻¹, and the detection limit was 0.23 ng mL⁻¹. Other metals had a negligible effect on the detection of Hg(II). The accuracy of the method was evaluated by adding different concentrations of Hg(II) to tap water samples. The sample recoveries ranged from 103.2% to 108.7%. This immunoassay is simple and portable, which makes it very useful for rapid monitoring of Hg(II) contamination in field analysis.