LAUSR

Abstract A kind of novel hybrid membrane for the detection and separation of mercury ion (Hg2+) was fabricated by filtrating gold nanocluster embedded bovine serum albumin (AuNCs@BSA) nanofibers and graphene oxide (GO). With the help of N-ethyl-N′-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide hydrochloride and N-hydroxysuccinimide, the BSA nanofiber and graphene oxide (GO) can be covalently binded due to the reaction between amino and carboxyl groups. The separation mechanism of the hybrid membrane are attributed to the high-affinity metallophilic Hg2+-Au+ interactions, Hg2+-cysteine residue binding as well as electrostatic interaction. The experimental results indicated that the created GO-AuNCs@BSA hybrid membrane exhibits excellent performance for removing Hg2+ pollutants from water. The adsorbing efficiency of Hg2+ can reach up to 90.45% at the first cycle and the separation process can be repeated numerous times without damaging the membrane structure.