Thiophene-Substituted Pyrogallol[4]arene Macrocycle and Its Application in Selective Mercury Sensing via Silver Nanoparticle Complexation
A novel thiophene-substituted pyrogallol[4]arene (Pg4THP4) derivative was synthesized and thoroughly characterized by using 1H NMR, MALDI-TOF MS, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SC-XRD) analyses. Additionally, water-dispersible silver nanoparticles functionalized with thiophene-substituted pyrogallol[4]arene (Pg4THP4–AgNPs) were synthesized and characterized by X-ray diffraction, UV–visible spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The sensing capabilities of Pg4THP4–AgNPs toward various metal ions were evaluated, revealing high selectivity for Hg2+ ions, marked by a distinct colorimetric response. Selectivity studies demonstrated that Hg2+ detection by Pg4THP4–AgNPs was free of interference from other metal ions. The detection mechanism is based on the displacement of the Pg4THP4 macrocycle from the nanoparticle surface in the presence of Hg2+, leading to the aggregation of the exposed silver nanoparticles and a resulting optical signal.
Authors
- Harshita Kumari (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6861-0281)
- Steven P. Kelley (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6755-4495)
- Ajaz A. Dar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2882-0863)
Institutions
- University of Missouri–St. Louis (US)
- Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté (FR)
- Sabin Vaccine Institute (US)
- University of Cincinnati (US)
- University of Cincinnati Medical Center (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- ACS Applied Nano Materials
- Published
- 2025-02-28
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1021/acsanm.4c06128
- Citations
- 4
- Primary Topic
- Mercury impact and mitigation studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 4.80
Funders
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research