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N, S co-doped fluorescent carbon dots synthesized by microwave irradiation: a sensitive probe for Pb (II) ions detection in food samples

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Abstract

Sulfur and nitrogen co-doped carbon dots (NSCDs) were quickly synthesized by the microwave-assisted method from tri-ammonium citrate and thiourea. NSCDs showed a quantum yield of 11.5% with excitation and emission bands at 355 and 432 nm, respectively. Also, a fluorescence quenching was observed in the presence of Pb(II) ions, and the as-synthesized CDs were used as a sensitive probe for detecting Pb(II) in water and food samples. The results showed the optimal conditions for Pb(II) determination were CDs concentration of 0.02 mg mL−1 at pH 6.0–7.0 and an incubation time of 20 min. The relative fluorescence intensity of NSCDs was proportional to Pb(II) concentrations in the range of 0.029–2.40 and 2.40–14.4 µmol L−1 with a correlation coefficient (R2) of 0.998 and 0.955, respectively, and a detection limit of 9.2 × 10–3 µmol L−1. Responses were highly repeatable, with a standard deviation below 3.5%. The suggested method demonstrates the potential of a green, fast, and low-cost approach for Pb(II) determination in water, tea, and rice samples with satisfying results.

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Data availability

All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this manuscript.

Code availability

A statement regarding code availability is not applicable.

Abbreviations

AAS:

Atomic absorption spectrometry

CDs:

Carbon dots

DLS:

Dynamic light scattering

EtOH:

Ethanol

FL:

Fluorescence

ICP-MS:

Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry

ICP-OES:

Inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry

MeOH:

Methanol

QDs:

Quantum dots

QY:

Quantum yield

SEM:

Scanning electron microscope

TAC:

Tri-ammonium citrate

TEM:

Transmission electron microscope

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Acknowledgements

The authors appreciate the support of the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad (No. 3/54203).

Funding

The authors do not receive a specific project grant but this work was supported by the block grant available to the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad received by Elias Aboobakri as a Ph. D candidate.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, P.O. Box: 9177948974, Mashhad, Iran

    Elias Aboobakri & Tahereh Heidari

  2. Department of Food Chemistry, Research Institute of Food Science and Technology (RIFST), Mashhad, Iran

    Moslem Jahani

Authors
  1. Elias Aboobakri
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  2. Tahereh Heidari
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  3. Moslem Jahani
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. The first draft of the manuscript was prepared by Elias Aboobakri and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. EA: investigation, data curation, writing—original draft. TH: supervision, methodology, formal analysis, investigation, review and editing of the original draft. MJ: supervision, methodology, resources, review and editing of the original draft.

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Correspondence to Tahereh Heidari.

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Aboobakri, E., Heidari, T. & Jahani, M. N, S co-doped fluorescent carbon dots synthesized by microwave irradiation: a sensitive probe for Pb (II) ions detection in food samples. Carbon Lett. 33, 1629–1638 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42823-023-00529-9

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