Abstract
We describe a new method for synthesis of water-soluble photoluminescent carbon dots (CDs) by one-pot hydrothermal treatment of adipic acid and triammonium citrate. The CDs have excitation/emission maxima of 340/440 nm, a quantum yield of 0.13, and are shown to be a viable fluorescent probe for the determination of Hg(II). It shows a linear relationship in the 4 to 18 μM mercury ion concentration range. The detection limit is as low as 2.47 μM. The CDs were applied to intracellular sensing and imaging of Hg(II) where they showed low toxicity.
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The work described in this manuscript was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 21174103, 21374078, 51308390) and Tianjin Research Program of Application Foundation and Advanced Technology (No. 15JCYBJC18100).
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Yan, F., Kong, D., Luo, Y. et al. Carbon dots serve as an effective probe for the quantitative determination and for intracellular imaging of mercury(II). Microchim Acta 183, 1611–1618 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-016-1788-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-016-1788-5