Sensitive and selective detection of mercury (II) based on the aggregation of gold nanoparticles stabilized by riboflavin

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) can be stabilized by riboflavin against tris buffer-induced aggregation. However, in the presence of mercury (II) (Hg2+), riboflavin can be released from the AuNPs surface and the riboflavin-Hg2+ complex formed, leading to the aggregation of AuNPs in tris buffer. The aggregation extent depends on the concentration of Hg2+. Based on the aggregation extent, a simple and sensitive method of determining Hg2+ is developed. The method enables the detection of Hg2+ over the concentration range of 0.02-0.8 microM, with a detection limit (3sigma) of 14 nM, and shows excellent selectivity for Hg2+ over other metal ions (Cu2+, Co2+, Cd2+, Pb2+, Mg2+, Zn2+, Ag+, Ce3+, Ca2+, Al3+, K+). More importantly, the method avoids complicated surface modifications and tedious separation processes.