A wood-derived nanocellulose hydrogel (WNH) with gold nanoclusters (Au NCs) was prepared by in situ multistep reactions, which was used as an effective adsorbent for the adsorption of mercury ion (Hg²⁺) and a solid-state fluorescent probe for detecting Hg²⁺. The WNH’s morphology, chemical structure and optical properties were investigated. The adsorption performance of WNH towards the Hg²⁺ ion was studied, indicating that the sorption data were well fitted by Langmuir and pseudo-second-order models with a maximum sorption capacity of 234.4 mg/g. The detection performance of WNH towards the Hg²⁺ ion was also investigated, showing excellent selectivity and sensitivity to Hg²⁺ with a detection limit of 0.09 μg/L. The 3D porous structure created by wood-derived nanocellulose increased adsorption and detection, according to the mechanism analysis. Furthermore, a cost analysis was performed for WNH and commercial activated carbon, and the results showed that WNH was the economically viable option for Hg²⁺ sorption. This research could pave the way for a low-cost, multi-functional and environmentally friendly mercury adsorbent.

通过原位多步反应制备了具有金纳米团簇（Au NCs）的木源纳米纤维素水凝胶（WNH），其用作吸附汞离子（Hg ²⁺）的有效吸附剂和固态荧光探针检测 Hg ²⁺。研究了 WNH 的形态、化学结构和光学性质。研究了 WNH 对 Hg ²⁺离子的吸附性能，表明吸附数据符合 Langmuir 和伪二级模型，最大吸附容量为 234.4 mg/g。WNH朝向汞柱检测性能²⁺离子也进行了研究，显示出优异的选择性和灵敏度对Hg ²⁺检出限为 0.09 μg/L。根据机理分析，由木材衍生的纳米纤维素产生的 3D 多孔结构增加了吸附和检测。此外，对 WNH 和商用活性炭进行了成本分析，结果表明 WNH 是 Hg ²⁺吸附的经济可行选择。这项研究可以为低成本、多功能和环保的汞吸附剂铺平道路。