Issue 7, 2016

A green synthesis of highly fluorescent nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots for the highly sensitive and selective detection of mercury(ii) ions and biothiols

Abstract

A facile and environmentally friendly strategy to prepare nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots (N-GQDs) with a high quantum yield of 28.10% was reported. The obtained N-GQDs exhibited strong blue fluorescence emission with the maximum emission and excitation at 450 nm and 355 nm, respectively. Taking advantage of the effective quenching effect of Hg2+ on N-GQDs, such N-GQDs were developed for the efficient and sensitive detection of Hg2+ with a relatively low detection limit of 0.032 μM. Based on the selective coordination of biothiols and Hg2+, the fluorescence of the N-GQD/Hg system was recovered with the addition of biothiols. This fluorescent “Off–On” process showed a sensitive response to biothiols with a detection limit of 0.036 μM for cysteine and 0.034 μM for glutathione. Most importantly, the N-GQD-based fluorescence method was successfully used to monitor Hg2+ in real water samples and biothiols in serum samples.

Graphical abstract: A green synthesis of highly fluorescent nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots for the highly sensitive and selective detection of mercury(ii) ions and biothiols

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
09 Dec 2015
Accepted
16 Jan 2016
First published
20 Jan 2016

Anal. Methods, 2016,8, 1565-1571

A green synthesis of highly fluorescent nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots for the highly sensitive and selective detection of mercury(II) ions and biothiols

Z. Yan, X. Qu, Q. Niu, C. Tian, C. Fan and B. Ye, Anal. Methods, 2016, 8, 1565 DOI: 10.1039/C5AY03208C

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements