20.500.12556/DiRROS-29250 Sustainable mercury monitoring using graphitic carbon nitride as a 2D binding layer in diffusive gradient thin films Mercury (Hg) is a highly toxic and persistent environmental pollutant whose accurate monitoring remains challenging due to limitations in existing diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) binding materials, including insufficient selectivity, complex synthesis, and sustainability concerns. In this study, we report the first application of graphitic carbon nitride (GCN) nanosheets as a metal-free and sustainable binding material for Hg²⁺ monitoring in DGT systems, addressing key limitations of current approaches. Few-layer GCN nanosheets were synthesized via thermal polymerization followed by protonation-assisted exfoliation and comprehensively characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), Raman spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). These analyses confirmed the formation of a structurally stable, nitrogen-rich framework with abundant coordination sites. The GCN–agarose (AG–GCN) composite binding layer demonstrated high mercury binding efficiency (>90%) at environmentally relevant concentrations (2.5–10 ng/mL) and near-neutral pH, attributed to strong coordination between Hg²⁺ ions and electron-donating nitrogen sites within the heptazine structure. Compared to conventional DGT binding phases, the proposed system offers enhanced sustainability, metal-free composition, and strong affinity toward mercury, highlighting its potential for next-generation passive environmental monitoring and advanced nanomaterial-based sensing platforms. passive monitoring graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets adsorbent mercury detection nanosheets pasivni monitoring adsorbent meritve zaznavanja živega srebra true false true Elsevier Nizozemska Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik © 2026 The Authors. Neznano 2026-05-04 13:32:57 2026-05-04 13:32:58 2026-05-05 03:45:44 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2026 0 0 Nasl. z nasl. zaslona; Soavtorji: Raghuraj Singh Chouhan, Igor Živković, Ermira Begu, Ana Drinčić, Francisco Ruiz-Zepeda, Andraž Krajnc, Ivan Jerman, Roman Viter, Aleš Lapanje, Milena Horvat; Opis vira z dne 30. 4. 2026; str. 1-11 Vol. 22, [article no.] 101190 May 2026 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno NiDoloceno 2025-11-19 2026-04-24 2026-04-25 543 2772-4166 10.1016/j.hazadv.2026.101190 276796931 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772416626001890?via%3Dihub 1 035789b9-47ad-11f1-969d-001a4af901a5 https://dirros.openscience.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=43765 RAZ_Deev_Dmitrii_2026.pdf RAZ_Deev_Dmitrii_2026.pdf 1 7499847146B1E7BDD0C8D73FFCF76D98 a3a2127655a8b71a76d78513fc1c599310603b0c3f419c19f3122aac970c03fa 4ae0cd95-47ad-11f1-969d-001a4af901a5 https://dirros.openscience.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=43766 Institut Jožef Stefan 0 0 0