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Colourful metal detection

The sensor changes from red to blue with an increasing mercury concentration

The sensor changes from red to blue with an increasing mercury concentration

Scientists in China have developed a sensor that can indicate the presence of heavy metal ions in a sample with a simple colour change.

Heavy metal ions such as mercury and lead are persistent pollutants in the environment and can cause severe health problems. Routine sampling of water sources is vital to evaluate the levels of toxic metals.

Current detection techniques involve the use of expensive equipment, require skilled technicians and are time consuming. A range of research has looked at developing detection techniques for in-field use and recently, interest has been focused on using aptamers. Aptamers are single-stranded DNA or RNA molecules that have been shown to reversibly bind with mercury and lead. Several sensors have been developed that incorporate aptamers but most have required complex labelling or detection techniques.

Read the full article in Chemistry World

Link to journal article
Colorimetric photonic hydrogel aptasensor for the screening of heavy metal ions
Bao-Fen Ye ,  Yuan-Jin Zhao ,  Yao Cheng ,  Ting-Ting Li ,  Zhuo-Ying Xie ,  Xiang-Wei Zhao and Zhong-Ze Gu
Nanoscale, 2012,4, 5998-6003, DOI: 10.1039/C2NR31601C

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Top ten most accessed articles in July

This month sees the following articles in Nanoscale that are in the top ten most accessed:-

One-pot green synthesis of optically pH-sensitive carbon dots with upconversion luminescence
Xiaofang Jia, Jing Li and Erkang Wang
Nanoscale, 2012,4, 5572-5575, DOI: 10.1039/C2NR31319G, Communication

Graphene edges: a review of their fabrication and characterization
Xiaoting Jia, Jessica Campos-Delgado, Mauricio Terrones, Vincent Meunier and Mildred S. Dresselhaus
Nanoscale, 2011,3, 86-95, DOI: 10.1039/C0NR00600A, Review Article

Gold nanoparticles: preparation, properties, and applications in bionanotechnology
Yi-Cheun Yeh, Brian Creran and Vincent M. Rotello
Nanoscale, 2012,4, 1871-1880, DOI: 10.1039/C1NR11188D, Minireview

Nanostructured metal oxide-based materials as advanced anodes for lithium-ion batteries
Hao Bin Wu, Jun Song Chen, Huey Hoon Hng and Xiong Wen (David) Lou
Nanoscale, 2012,4, 2526-2542, DOI: 10.1039/C2NR11966H, Feature Article

Graphene Transfer: A Key toward Applications
Junmo Kang, Dolly Shin, Sukang Bae and Byung Hee Hong
Nanoscale, 2012,4, 5527-5537, DOI: 10.1039/C2NR31317K, Review Article

Different sized luminescent gold nanoparticles
Jie Zheng, Chen Zhou, Mengxiao Yu and Jinbin Liu
Nanoscale, 2012,4, 4073-4083, DOI: 10.1039/C2NR31192E, Review Article

The role of nanomaterials in redox-based supercapacitors for next generation energy storage devices
Xin Zhao, Beatriz Mendoza Sánchez, Peter J. Dobson and Patrick S. Grant
Nanoscale, 2011,3, 839-855, DOI: 10.1039/C0NR00594K, Review Article

Biomimetic graphene films and their properties
Yong-Lai Zhang, Qi-Dai Chen, Zhi Jin, Eunkyoung Kim and Hong-Bo Sun
Nanoscale, 2012,4, 4858-4869, DOI: 10.1039/C2NR30813D, Feature Article

Graphene: a versatile nanoplatform for biomedical applications
Yin Zhang, Tapas R. Nayak, Hao Hong and Weibo Cai
Nanoscale, 2012,4, 3833-3842, DOI: 10.1039/C2NR31040F, Review Article

Recent progress on metal core@semiconductor shell nanocomposites as a promising type of photocatalyst
Nan Zhang, Siqi Liu and Yi-Jun Xu
Nanoscale, 2012,4, 2227-2238, DOI: 10.1039/C2NR00009A, Minireview

Why not take a look at the articles today and blog your thoughts and comments below.

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