Carbon Dots-Based Fluorescence Assay for the Facile and Reliable Detection of Ag + in Natural Water and Serum Samples

• Published in: Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 28; no. 4; p. 1566
• Main Authors: Luo, Yuanping, Cui, Chen, Zhang, Xingshou, Jiang, Yuxiang, Xiang, Zhuang, Ji, Chunyu, Peng, Zhili
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 06.02.2023; MDPI
• Subjects: Ag+ sensing; Assaying; Carbon; Carbon dots; Deionization; Fluorescence; fluorescence quenching; Fluorescent Dyes; Hydrothermal treatment; limit of detection; Metal ions; Mineral water; Phenylenediamine; Quantum Dots; Reproducibility of Results; Selectivity; serum; Spectrometry, Fluorescence; Spectrum analysis; Water; China; carbon dots; Ag+ sensing; limit of detection; serum; fluorescence quenching
• ISSN: 1420-3049; 1420-3049
• DOI: 10.3390/molecules28041566

In this report, red-emissive carbon dots (C-dots) were facilely prepared from -phenylenediamine via microwave-assisted hydrothermal treatment. The C-dots demonstrated excitation wavelength-independent emission with maximums at 621 nm that could be effectively quenched by Ag via static quenching. This phenomenon was exploited to establish a sensitive fluorescence assay with a low detection limit (0.37 μM) and wide linear range (0-50 μM). In addition, this assay demonstrated excellent selectivity toward Ag , free from the interference of 16 commonly seen metal ions. Most importantly, the assay demonstrated high reliability toward samples in deionized water, mineral water, lake water, and serum, which could indicate potential applications for Ag monitoring in complicated natural and biological environments.