Thanudkit Jitjaroendee1, Supphachok Chanmungkalakul2, Vuthichai Ervithayasuporn1,
Supavadee Kiatisevi1,3*
1Department of Chemistry and Center of Excellence for Innovation in Chemistry (PERCH-CIC), Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand
2Institute of Sustainability for Chemicals, Energy and Environment (ISCE2), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 138665, Republic of Singapore.
3Center of Sustainable Energy and Green Materials, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Salaya, Nakhon Pathom 73170, Thailand

This study introduces two new silica-based materials, AnSiO₂ and PySiO₂, that can quickly detect and remove toxic mercury ions (Hg²⁺) from water without using harmful chemicals. These materials glow brightly in water, but their glow dims when mercury is present—making detection easy and efficient, especially at pH 6. PySiO₂ stood out with high sensitivity (0.29 μM detection limit) and strong removal ability (54.04 mg/g). Even after four reuse cycles, it still removed over 50% of mercury and worked well in aquaculture water. This eco-friendly, low-cost approach shows great promise for cleaning up mercury pollution in real environments.