Optical recognition and removal of Hg(II) using a new self-chemosensor based on a modified amino-functionalized Al-MOF

Abstract We developed a simple self-chemical optical sensor for the monitoring and removal of ultra-trace levels of Hg(II) from aqueous media. The development of this sensor was based on the covalent attachment of amino-functionalized aluminum-based MOF particles with ninhydrin. The new sensor is densely coated with a chelating ligand to permit an ultra-fast, selective, pH-dependent visualization for removal of Hg(II) with detection limit (LOD∼0.494 μg L−1). Monitoring was accomplished via both a colorimetric signal visible to the naked eye as well as UV–vis absorption spectroscopy. Digital image-based colorimetric analysis has also used as a semi-quantitative analysis for determination the…