Monitoring and quantification of the complex bioaccumulation process of mercury ion in algae by a novel aggregation-induced emission fluorogen

Yusheng Jiang, Yuncong Chen, Maha Alrashdi, Wen Luo, Ben Tang, Jihong Zhang, Jianguang Qin, Youhong Tang

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    10 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    In this study, a novel methodology was developed using a specified aggregation-induced emission fluorogen (AIEgen) to monitor and quantify the complex bioaccumulation process in a microcosm aquatic ecosystem. Mercury ion (Hg2+) was used as the pollutant and Euglena gracilis as a representative algal species in water, to develop this new methodology for understanding the processes of bioaccumulation and biorelease of a heavy metal in algae. AIEgen can easily detect Hg2+ in the environment by the "turn-on" feature, and a relationship was built among photoluminescence (PL) intensity, AIEgen concentration, and Hg2+ concentration. The AIEgen was effectively used for quantifying Hg2+ concentration in the bioaccumulation process by reading the PL intensity of the solution. Bioaccumulation, bioaccumulation efficiency, and the ratio of Hg2+ in Euglena gracilis cells and the environment were carefully characterized by this novel method and the results were further validated with the existing well-established analytical method. The quantitative detection of Hg2+ absorption and release from the algae by the AIEgen demonstrates a novel, green, and sustainable approach to understand the dynamics of Hg2+ between aquatic organisms and the environment.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)100318-100325
    Number of pages8
    JournalRSC Advances
    Volume6
    Issue number102
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2016

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