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Ratiometric determination of Cr(VI) based on a dual-emission fluorescent nanoprobe using carbon quantum dots and a smartphone app

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Abstract

A simple dual-colour fluorescent nanoprobe has been designed composed of blue and yellow emission carbon quantum dots (CQDs). This system is inexpensive and easy to operate and was successfully employed for on-site measurements based on a smartphone app. The designed nanoprobe exhibited increased selectivity for Cr(VI), leading to a double stable response of the two CQDs. The dual-emission nanoprobe showed blue-violet fluorescence upon UV irradiation, and the fluorescent emission peaks were located at 418 nm and 552 nm. The blue light emission of CQDs was quenched with increasing Cr(VI) concentration due to the inner filter effect, whereas the yellow light emission was enhanced due to the aggregation-induced emission effect. The different responses of the dual emissions to Cr(VI) resulted in a fluorescent colour variation, thus enabling facile macroscopic visualization. With a smartphone, the change in the fluorescence colour could be observed more apparently than that of a single fluorescence nanoprobe, and the response increased linearly so that the nanoprobe could be applied to instantaneous measurements. Furthermore, the dual-emission nanoprobe was successfully employed for analysing food and water samples. Accurate concentrations were obtained by constructing a calibration plot using a fluorescence spectrometer and a smartphone app; the recoveries were 81.6% to 107.7%, and the relative standard deviation was below 3.6%. Therefore, this smartphone-integrated dual-emission detection system is promising as a new portable method for the on-site measurement of Cr(VI) ions.

Graphical abstract

* Y-CQDs: yellow emission carbon quantum dots.

B-CQDs: blue emission carbon quantum dots.

B/Y-CQDs: a mixture of B-CQDs and Y-CQDs.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Open Project Program of the State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, Tianjin University of Science & Technology (No. SKLFNS-KF-201908), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 21806083).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Tianjin, 300457, China

    Chixuan Yao, Qingrun Liu, Guozhen Fang & Shuo Wang

  2. Tianjin Key Laboratory of Food Science and Health, School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China

    Ning Zhao, Jing-Min Liu & Shuo Wang

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  1. Chixuan Yao
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Contributions

Yao Chixuan: Conceptualization, Methodology, Investigation, Writing - Original Draft. Liu Qingrun: Data Curation, Validation. Zhao Ning: Visualization. Liu Jing-Min: Writing- Reviewing and Editing. Fang Guozhen: Project administration. Wang Shuo: Supervision, Funding acquisition.

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Correspondence to Jing-Min Liu or Shuo Wang.

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Yao, C., Liu, Q., Zhao, N. et al. Ratiometric determination of Cr(VI) based on a dual-emission fluorescent nanoprobe using carbon quantum dots and a smartphone app. Microchim Acta 188, 89 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-021-04747-8

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