Detecting mercury with gold [Asia Research News 2018 Inventions and Innovations]

Researchers in Ireland have found a strong contender for a portable mercury sensor: individual gold nanorods.

Mercury detection currently requires heavy and expensive equipment.

Mercury, a highly toxic metal, currently requires heavy and expensive equipment to detect. Researchers at the Tyndall National Institute at University College Cork in Ireland have found a strong contender for a portable mercury sensor: individual gold nanorods. When observed with dark-field microscopy, gold nanorods normally produce a red wavelength. Exposing them to trace levels of mercury shifts their wavelength to orange. The higher the mercury content, the more the wavelength changes, according to a study published in the journal Science and Technology of Advanced Materials. Gold nanorod production must become more consistent before field sensors can be built because different sizes and shapes throw off measurements.

Further information
Dr Daniela Iacopino | E-mail: [email protected]
Tyndall National Institute
University College Cork

Mikiko Tanifuji | E-mail: [email protected]
Science and Technology of Advanced Materials
National Institute for Materials Science
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Published: 10 May 2018

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Advanced Materials