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Ratiometric fluorometric determination of silver(I) by using blue-emitting silicon- and nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots and red-emitting N-acetyl-L-cysteine-capped CdTe quantum dots

Microchimica Acta volume 186, Article number: 723 (2019) Cite this article

Abstract

A ratiometric fluorometric assay for silver(I) is described. The method makes use of a dually emitting quantum dot hybrid, which is composed of (a) blue-fluorescent silicon- and nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots (CQDs), and (b) of red-emitting CdTe quantum dots (QDs) capped with N-acetyl-L-cysteine. The red-emitting CdTe QDs undergo strong and specific quenching by Ag(I), whereas the blue-emitting N,Si-CQDs are not quenched. The two kinds of QDs are mixed and used as a ratiometric fluorescent probe. A linear relationship is found between the log of intensities [(I608/I441)0/(I608/I441)] and the concentration of Ag(I) in the range from 5.0–1000 nM, and the limit of detection (at S/N = 3) is 1.7 nM. Possible interferents (including 17 general metal ions, 12 anions and fulvic acid) do not interfere with the determination. The assay was successfully used for the determination of Ag(I) in surface water and wastewater samples. The fluorescence quenching mechanism of the ratiometric assay system was also discussed in detailed.

Schematic representation of a ratiometric probe composed of silicon- and nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots (N,Si-CQDs) and CdTe quantum dots capped by N-acetyl-L-cysteine (CdTe QDs). This dual-emission QDs hybrid was fabricated for ultrasensitive and highly selective detection of silver(I) in water samples.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 21677120).

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  1. Key Laboratory of Environmental Remediation and Ecological Health, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China

    Huifang Wu & Changlun Tong

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  1. Huifang Wu
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  2. Changlun Tong
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Correspondence to Changlun Tong.

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Wu, H., Tong, C. Ratiometric fluorometric determination of silver(I) by using blue-emitting silicon- and nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots and red-emitting N-acetyl-L-cysteine-capped CdTe quantum dots. Microchim Acta 186, 723 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-019-3818-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-019-3818-6

Keywords

  • Silver ions
  • Silicon-doped carbon dots
  • Nitrogen-doped carbon dots
  • Surface water
  • Wastewaters
  • Quenching efficiency
  • Fluorescentprobe
  • 3-Aminopropyltriethoxysilane functionalized carbon dots
  • Fluorescence quenching mechanism
  • Dual-emission quantum dots hybrid