Detection of mercury(ii) in aqueous media using bodipy-functionalized magnetic fluorescent sporopollenin†

Pollution from heavy metal ions has become a major issue worldwide. Water pollution, particularly with heavy metals like mercury, is a global problem. Developing environmentally friendly, low-cost, high-efficiency, sensitive, and selective sensors for the detection of mercury(II) ions in aqueous environments has attracted great interest in industry and academia. In this research paper, a bodipy-functionalized magnetic fluorescent MSp-TAB hybrid material was developed for detecting mercury(II) in aqueous media. The magnetic fluorescent MSp-TAB hybrid material was characterized using FT-IR, SEM, EDX, XRD, and TGA. We studied the influence of diverse factors such as contact time, temperature, and pH on the detection of Hg(II). The fluorometric study demonstrated that the developed magnetic-fluorescent hybrid material was sensitive/selective for Hg(II) ions in the absence and presence of interfering ions with a limit of detection (LOD) of 2.72 μM. In conclusion, the developed magnetic fluorescent MSp-TAB hybrid material has demonstrated its applicability and potential for accurate, sensitive, and practical detection of Hg(II) in tap water samples.