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Self-assembly of DNA-templated copper nanoclusters and carbon dots for ratiometric fluorometric and visual determination of arginine and acetaminophen with a logic-gate operation

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Abstract

This work describes the synthesis of red-emitting copper nanoclusters (CuNCs) by using DNA as the template. DNA-templated CuNCs combined with blue-emitting carbon dots (CDs) form the self-assembled complex DNA-CuNC/CDs through electrostatic interactions. In the presence of arginine (Arg), the blue fluorescence of CDs (with excitation/emission maxima at 350/440 nm) is quenched. Addition of acetaminophen (AP) induces the competitive combination of Arg and AP for the CDs. This results in the release of Arg from CDs and the recovery of blue fluorescence. On addition of both Arg and AP, the red fluorescence of CuNCs (with excitation/emission maxima at 350/670 nm) undergoes only slight changes. Hence, the DNA-CuNC/CD complex can serve as a dually emitting ratiometric probe to determine both Arg and AP, with detection limits of 0.35 μM and 0.26 μM, respectively. The probe also enables on-site, visual determination of Arg and AP in aqueous samples, best by placing the system in cuvettes or dropping it onto filter paper strips. An “INHIBIT” logic gate was designed based on this ratiometric and visual fluorometric assay, with Arg and AP as the inputs.

Schematic presentation of self-assembly of DNA-templated copper nanoclusters and carbon dots to construct novel dual-emitting nanoprobes for ratiometric fluorometric and visual determination of arginine and acetaminophen in aqueous solutions and on wetting filter paper strips.

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong, China (no. ZR2019MB026), and the Source Innovation Plan Application Basic Research Project of Qingdao, China (no. 18-2-2-26 jch).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Intellectual Property Research Institute, Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong, 266071, People’s Republic of China

    Xiangning Bu, Yongxin Fu, Xiaowen Jiang, Hui Jin & Rijun Gui

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  2. Yongxin Fu
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Correspondence to Rijun Gui.

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Bu, X., Fu, Y., Jiang, X. et al. Self-assembly of DNA-templated copper nanoclusters and carbon dots for ratiometric fluorometric and visual determination of arginine and acetaminophen with a logic-gate operation. Microchim Acta 187, 154 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-020-4146-6

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