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R-phycoerythrin proteins@ZIF-8 composite thin films for mercury ion detection.

Xiaobin WangZhishan FangZhuoyi LiWen YingDanke ChenHaiping HeXinsheng Peng
Published in: The Analyst (2019)
Mercury, as one of the most prevalent toxic metals released by various natural and anthropogenic processes, causes severe pollution of soil and groundwater. In this work, R-phycoerythrin (R-PE) proteins encapsulated into ZIF-8 composite thin films were prepared via a solid-confinement conversion process and applied as fluorescent sensors for mercury ion detection. The R-PE proteins encapsulated into ZIF-8 exhibit dual color emissions including green (518 nm) and red (602, 650 nm) fluorescence, while the original orange emission (578 nm) of pure R-PE is significantly suppressed. R-PE@ZIF-8 presents excellent selectivity and sensitivity for mercury detection in a large pH range without buffer solution. Under the optimal conditions, there is a good linear relationship between the fluorescence quenching efficiencies of R-PE@ZIF-8 and logarithmic concentrations of mercury ions in the range of 0.001-50 μM with the detection limit (LOD) of 6.7 nM much lower than the guideline value given by the World Health Organization. Furthermore, multi-peak detection of R-PE@ZIF-8 improves the detection accuracy of Hg2+ concentration.
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