Aggregation-based determination of mercury(II) using DNA-modified single gold nanoparticle, T-Hg(II)-T interaction, and single-particle ICP-MS

An ultrasensitive assay is described for the detection and determination of Hg2+(aq) in water samples based on single-particle inductively-coupled plasma/mass spectrometry (spICP-MS). In the presence of Hg2+(aq), AuNPs modified with a segment of single-stranded DNA aggregate due to the formation of the well-known thymine (T)-Hg2+-T complex. Single particle (sp) ICP-MS is used quantify the degree of aggregation by the overall decrease in number of detected AuNPs or NP aggregates. Compared with most other Hg2+ assays that use the same principle of aggregation-dispersion with DNA modified AuNPs, this method has a much lower detection limit of (0.031 ng L−1, 155 fM) and a wider (10,000-fold) linear range (up to 1 μg L−1). The method also showed good practical potential because of its minimal interference from the water sample matrix.