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Nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots coated with gold nanoparticles for electrochemiluminescent glucose detection using enzymatically generated hydrogen peroxide as a quencher

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Abstract

Nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots (N-GQDs) were prepared from dicyandiamide and then used as both an electrochemiluminescence (ECL) emitter and a reductant to produce gold nanoparticles (Au-N-GQDs) on their surface without using any reagent. In order to avoid resonance energy transfer, the Au-N-GQDs were stabilized with chitosan. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), UV-vis spectroscopy (UV-vis) and ECL methods were used to characterize the nanocomposite. The materials was placed on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE), and the ECL signals are found to be strongly quenched by hydrogen peroxide that is enzymatically produced by oxidation of glucose. With the applied typical potential of −1.7 V, the ECL of the Au-N-GQDs modified GCE decreases linearly in the 10 nM to 5.0 μM glucose concentration range, and the lower detection limit is 3.3 nM. The influence of H2O2 to the signal has been discussed and a possible mechanism has been presented.

Schematic presentation of the reduction of gold nanoparticles with nitrogen-droped graphene quantum dots (N-GQDs) to form Au-N-GQDs. They were used to detect glucose by electrochemiluminescence through a signal off strategy.

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Acknowledgments

This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 21272188).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Luminescence and Real-Time Analysis (Southwest University), Ministry of Education, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, China

    Peiyao Ran, Jinyi Song, Fangjing Mo, Jingling Wu, Pingkun Liu & Yingzi Fu

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  1. Peiyao Ran
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  2. Jinyi Song
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  3. Fangjing Mo
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  4. Jingling Wu
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Correspondence to Yingzi Fu.

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Ran, P., Song, J., Mo, F. et al. Nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots coated with gold nanoparticles for electrochemiluminescent glucose detection using enzymatically generated hydrogen peroxide as a quencher. Microchim Acta 186, 276 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-019-3397-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-019-3397-6

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