Facile smartphone-assisted colorimetric detection of high-load Hg2+ in industrial wastewater using a silica-supported ion-imprinted polymer
- 1Faculty of Chemistry and Life Sciences, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Engineering 01 Vo Van Ngan Street, Thu Duc Ward Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam [email protected].
- 2Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HCMUT) 268 Ly Thuong Kiet Street, Dien Hong Ward Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam.
- 3Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCM) Linh Xuan Ward Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam.
Abstract
Conventional colorimetric Hg²⁺ sensors primarily target trace-level detection, limiting their applicability to industrial wastewater containing elevated mercury concentrations. Herein, a silica-supported APTES-TEOS ion-imprinted polymer (SiO₂@MIP) was developed for smartphone-assisted colorimetric detection of high-load Hg²⁺ in industrial wastewater. The synthesized material was characterized using FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, and XPS, while Hg²⁺ detection was evaluated using UV-vis spectrophotometry and the Photometrix smartphone application. The proposed method exhibited a working concentration range of 1 mM-100 mM, with adsorption saturation observed above approximately 12.5 mM and a strong logarithmic calibration relationship (R ² = 0.9878), a limit of quantification was calculated to be 1.35 mM. Selectivity experiments demonstrated preferential Hg²⁺ recognition in the presence of competing metal ions at 10 mM and in mixed-ion matrices. The method exhibited satisfactory reproducibility, with RSD values ranging from 2.9% to 5.9% within the investigated quantification range. Spike recovery experiments in industrial paper-manufacturing wastewater yielded recoveries of 94.02-96.11%, comparable to those obtained using ICP-MS as a reference method (95.24-99.84%). These results demonstrate the potential of SiO₂@MIP-based smartphone colorimetry for practical screening of high-load Hg²⁺ in industrial wastewater without requiring sophisticated analytical instrumentation during routine measurements.
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BibTeX
@article{nhiem2026facile,
title = {{Facile smartphone-assisted colorimetric detection of high-load Hg2+ in industrial wastewater using a silica-supported ion-imprinted polymer}},
author = {Ly Tan Nhiem and Phan Huynh Tue Nam and Tran Thi Nhung and Nguyen Thanh Sang},
journal = {RSC advances},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.1039/d6ra04074h},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13725854},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Facile smartphone-assisted colorimetric detection of high-load Hg2+ in industrial wastewater using a silica-supported ion-imprinted polymer
AU - Ly Tan Nhiem
AU - Phan Huynh Tue Nam
AU - Tran Thi Nhung
AU - Nguyen Thanh Sang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/02
JO - RSC advances
DO - 10.1039/d6ra04074h
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13725854
AB - Conventional colorimetric Hg²⁺ sensors primarily target trace-level detection, limiting their applicability to industrial wastewater containing elevated mercury concentrations. Herein, a silica-supported APTES-TEOS ion-imprinted polymer (SiO₂@MIP) was developed for smartphone-assisted colorimetric detection of high-load Hg²⁺ in industrial wastewater. The synthesized material was characterized using FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, and XPS, while Hg²⁺ detection was evaluated using UV-vis spectrophotometry and the Photometrix smartphone application. The proposed method exhibited a working concentration range of 1 mM-100 mM, with adsorption saturation observed above approximately 12.5 mM and a strong logarithmic calibration relationship (R ² = 0.9878), a limit of quantification was calculated to be 1.35 mM. Selectivity experiments demonstrated preferential Hg²⁺ recognition in the presence of competing metal ions at 10 mM and in mixed-ion matrices. The method exhibited satisfactory reproducibility, with RSD values ranging from 2.9% to 5.9% within the investigated quantification range. Spike recovery experiments in industrial paper-manufacturing wastewater yielded recoveries of 94.02-96.11%, comparable to those obtained using ICP-MS as a reference method (95.24-99.84%). These results demonstrate the potential of SiO₂@MIP-based smartphone colorimetry for practical screening of high-load Hg²⁺ in industrial wastewater without requiring sophisticated analytical instrumentation during routine measurements.
SN - 2046-2069
ER -