MoS2 nanosheets for the detoxification of Hg2+ in living cells

Abstract

A simple and green one-step method for the simultaneous exfoliation and functionalization of few-layered MoS₂ nanosheets was developed via the ultrasonic treatment of bulk MoS₂ powder in sodium phytate-containing aqueous solution. The as-prepared MoS₂ nanosheets show high stability, low cytotoxicity and high adsorption capacity for Hg²⁺ in aqueous solution. The maximum adsorption capacity for Hg²⁺ is about 7.5 times and 3.7 times that of bulk MoS₂ powder and unfunctionalized MoS₂ nanosheets, respectively. The adsorption kinetics and thermodynamics indicate that the adsorption of Hg²⁺ is a monolayer chemical adsorption. Finally, the as-prepared MoS₂ nanosheets were applied for the removal of Hg²⁺ in HepG2 cells and show a similar detoxification effect as that of the common antidote meso-2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid, indicating the potential application of MoS₂ nanosheets for biological detoxification.