Portable Colorimetric Detection of Mercury(II) Based on a Non-Noble Metal Nanozyme with Tunable Activity

The nanozyme-based strategy is currently one of the frontiers in the detection of toxic heavy metal ions. However, the utilization of noble metal free nanozymes to construct an economically and environmentally sustainable methodology remains largely unknown. Here, chitosan-functionalized molybdenum(IV) selenide nanosheets (CS-MoSe2 NS), greenly synthesized by an ionic liquid-assisted grinding method, were exploited for the colorimetric sensing of mercury ions (Hg2+). The sensing principle was based on the activating effect of Hg2+ on CS-MoSe2 NS nanozyme activities, triggered by the in situ reduction of chitosan-captured Hg2+ ions on a MoSe2 NS surface. Using 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) as a colorimetric indicator, the concentrations of activator-like Hg2+ ions could be quantitatively and selectively monitored, reaching a limit of detection of 3.5 nM with the ultraviolet–visible spectrophotometer. In addition, the integration system of CS-MoSe2 NS with a smartphone achieved a portable detection limit as low as 8.4 nM Hg2+ within 15 min and showed high specificity and anti-interfering ability over other ions and great practicability in real water and serum samples. The eco-friendly properties of such sensing system were also confirmed. This work emphasizes the rational portable assembly of biocompatible nanozymes like CS-MoSe2 NS for the field detection of Hg2+ in food, biological, and environmental samples.