Wood-derived nanocellulose hydrogel incorporating gold nanoclusters using in situ multistep reactions for efficient sorption and sensitive detection of mercury ion
Qiu‐Yan Luo, Yifeng Huang, Zihua Lei, Junwen Peng, Dong Xu, Xin Guo, Yiqiang Wu
Abstract
A wood-derived nanocellulose hydrogel (WNH) with gold nanoclusters (Au NCs) was prepared by in situ multistep reactions, which was used as an effective adsorbent for the adsorption of mercury ion (Hg 2+ ) and a solid-state fluorescent probe for detecting Hg 2+ . The WNH’s morphology, chemical structure and optical properties were investigated. The adsorption performance of WNH towards the Hg 2+ ion was studied, indicating that the sorption data were well fitted by Langmuir and pseudo-second-order models with a maximum sorption capacity of 234.4 mg/g. The detection performance of WNH towards the Hg 2+ ion was also investigated, showing excellent selectivity and sensitivity to Hg 2+ with a detection limit of 0.09 μg/L. The 3D porous structure created by wood-derived nanocellulose increased adsorption and detection, according to the mechanism analysis. Furthermore, a cost analysis was performed for WNH and commercial activated carbon, and the results showed that WNH was the economically viable option for Hg 2+ sorption. This research could pave the way for a low-cost, multi-functional and environmentally friendly mercury adsorbent.