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Amino acid–functionalized carbon quantum dots for selective detection of Al3+ ions and fluorescence imaging in living cells

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Abstract

Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) are drawing tremendous attention due to their unique photoluminescence property and fascinating functions. Herein, we prepared novel CQDs functionalized with amino acids (AA-CQDs) by a one-pot hydrothermal method for selective detection of Al3+ ions and fluorescence imaging. The prepared AA-CQDs exhibit a novel triple-excitation and single-colour emission for fluorescent property. In addition, the AA-CQDs have a high absolute quantum yield (24.23%) and quantum lifetime (13.29 ns). Moreover, the AA-CQDs exhibit high selectivity and sensitivity for Al3+ by fluorescence enhancement. In pH 7.4 PBS solution, there was a good linear relation between the fluorescence intensity and the concentration of Al3+ in the range of 1–20 μmol L−1; the limit of detection (3σ) was only 0.32 μmol L−1. Furthermore, an AA-CQD probe was also utilized for detection of Al3+ in living cells based on excellent biocompatibility and endocytosis. Based on the concentration of Al3+ ions in cells and apoptosis data, there will be a quick reflect of apoptosis induced by aluminium ions via the fluorescence intensity of the AA-CQD probe. This work will set the stage for developing novel CQD-based biosensors in cell research.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the Analytical and Testing Centre of Northwestern Polytechnical University for equipment supporting.

Funding

This work was supported financially by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51433008, 81571786, 31771087), Shaanxi Innovation Capability Support Plan (2020TD-041), Shaanxi Key Research & Development Program Foundation (2020GY-285) and Shaanxi Natural Science Foundation (2021JM-238).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an, 710072, Shaanxi, China

    Chaoren Yan, Liulong Guo, Xu Shao, Qi Shu, Ping Guan & Xiaoling Hu

  2. Department of Pharmaceutical Analysis, School of Pharmacy, Air Force Medical University, Xi’an, 710032, Shaanxi, China

    Jingwei Wang & Chaoli Wang

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  1. Chaoren Yan
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  2. Liulong Guo
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Correspondence to Chaoren Yan, Xiaoling Hu or Chaoli Wang.

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Yan, C., Guo, L., Shao, X. et al. Amino acid–functionalized carbon quantum dots for selective detection of Al3+ ions and fluorescence imaging in living cells. Anal Bioanal Chem 413, 3965–3974 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-021-03348-x

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