Synthesis of fluorescent ionic liquid-functionalized silicon nanoparticles with tunable amphiphilicity and selective determination of Hg 2+

Fluorescent silicon nanoparticles have attracted much attention in recent years due to their superior optical properties, strong photostability, low toxicity, and favorable biocompatibility. In this paper, we have prepared imidazolium ionic liquid-functionalized silicon nanoparticles (IL@SiNPs) via a simple one-pot hydrothermal route from 1-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride that was denoted as [SmIm]Cl and sodium citrate. The synthetic IL@SiNPs could be a novel label-free sensing probe for sensitive and selective detection of Hg