“Turn-on” and pinhole-free ultrathin core–shell Au@SiO₂ nanoparticle-based metal-enhanced fluorescent (MEF) chemodosimeter for Hg²⁺

Abstract

We constructed a distinct ‘‘turn-on’’ Au@SiO2 nanostructure for a metal-enhanced fluorescence system. The metal-enhanced fluorescence chemosensor shows high sensitivity and selectivity toward Hg2+ with a detection limit of 5 × 10−11 mol L−1.