Nitrogen-sulfur co-doped pH-insensitive fluorescent carbon dots for high sensitive and selective hypochlorite detection

Glutathione Modified silicon-doped Carbon Quantum dots as a Sensitive Fluorescent Probe for ClO- Detection

A selective and sensitive fluorescence method for hypochlorite (ClO-) was designed using glutathione (GSH) modified silicon-doped carbon quantum dots (GSH@Si-CDs). Then a dual emission ratio fluorescence probe (RF-probe) was obtained based on carbodiimide-activated coupling reaction between GSH and Si-CDs. i.e., when the excitation wavelength was kept at 360 nm, the GSH@Si-CDs exhibited strong blue and weak yellow fluorescence at 430 and 580 nm. Meanwhile, the fluorescence of GSH@Si-CDs could be selectively quenched at 430 nm and enhanced at 580 nm in the presence of ClO-, and corresponding limit of detection (LOD) and linear range were measured to be 0.35 µM and 1.0-33.3 µM. The sensing mechanism of the system was also investigated in detail. Moreover, the RF-probe with good accuracy was successfully employed to monitor ClO- in real samples with satisfactory results compared to the standard iodometric method.

Aggregation enhanced emissive orange carbon dots for information encryption and detection of Fe3+ and tetracycline

In this study, N-doped fluorescent carbon dots with aggregation enhanced emission (N-CDs) were synthesized by a simple and rapid microwave-assisted method using o-phenylenediamine (OPD) and urea as raw materials and water as solvent. The fluorescence quantum yield of N-CDs was 20.64 %. N-CDs can be applied as invisible inks for message encryption. Furthermore, the fluorescence intensity of N-CDs can be quenched by Fe3+ and enhanced by tetracycline (TC). Therefore, two fluorescent probes were simultaneously designed in this study. Namely, "turn-off" fluorescence probe for Fe3+ and "turn-on" fluorescence probe for TC. The linear detection range of Fe3+ is from 1 to 70 μM, and detection limit is 0.1011 μM; the linear detection range of TC is from 0.1 to 10 μM, and the detection limit can be as low as 0.0555 μM. In this paper, the mutual interference between Fe3+ and TC was investigated for the first time. The detection of Fe3+ and TC was made more accurate by optimizing pH conditions and adding masking agent.

Fluorescence-enhanced detection of hypochlorite based on in situ synthesis of functionalization-free carbon spheres

Hypochlorite (ClO-) exposure has been confirmed to be associated with many serious diseases. Although abundant organic molecule-based probes have demonstrated high sensitivity and selectivity for ClO- response, they often suffer from limitations including tedious preparation steps, poor water solubility, and the use of toxic solvent. In this work, a novel fluorescent sensor based on carbon spheres (CS) synthesized by solvothermal method was presented for ClO- detection. In the presence of ClO-, the obtained micro-size CS that initially displayed very weak fluorescence experienced a significant fluorescence enhancement in the blue channel, and a linear response range of 2-110 μM with detection limit of 10.7 nM could be achieved. In addition to proposed mechanism verification, a field visualization platform based on smartphone was designed to monitor hypochlorite in real environmental water samples to demonstrate its potential in portable detection.

Rational N,P-Codoped pH-Activatable Red Carbon Dot for In Vitro and In Vivo Tumor Imaging

Tumor detection and imaging via tumor microenvironmental indicators can have practical value. Here, a low-pH-responsive red carbon dot (CD) was prepared via a hydrothermal reaction for specific tumor imaging in vitro and in vivo. The probe responded to the acidic tumor microenvironment. The CDs are codoped by nitrogen and phosphorene and contain anilines on the surface. These anilines are efficient electron donors and modulate the pH response: Fluorescence is undetectable at common physical pH (>7.0), but red fluorescence (600-720 nm) increases with decreasing pH. The inactivation of fluorescence is due to three aspects: photoinduced electron transfer from anilines, deprotonation-induced energy states changing, and particle aggregation-induced quenching. It is believed that this pH-responsive character of CD is better than other reported CDs. Thus, in vitro images of HeLa cells show strong fluorescence that is 4-fold higher than normal cells. Subsequently, the CDs are used for in vivo imaging of tumors in mice. Tumors can be clearly observed within 1 h, and clearance of CDs will be finished within 24 h due to the small size of the CDs. The CDs offer excellent tumor-to-normal tissue (T/N) ratios and have great potential for biomedical research and disease diagnosis.

Lysosome-targetable brightly green fluorescence carbon dots for real-time monitoring in cell and highly efficient removal in environment of hypochlorite

Due to the lacks of lysosome localization group and reaction/interaction site for hypochlorite (ClO^-) on the surface of the carbon dots (C-dots), no C-dots-based lysosome-targeted fluorescence probes have, so far, been reported for real-time monitoring intracellular ClO^-. In this work, 1,3,6-trinitropyrene (TNP) was used as a precursor to prepare C-dots with maximum excitation and emission wavelengths at 485 and 532 nm, respectively, and quantum yield ∼ 27% by a hydrothermal approach at 196 °C for 6 h under a reductive atmosphere. The brightly green C-dots can sensitively and quickly respond to ClO^- in aqueous solution through surface chemical reaction, showing a linear relationship in the range of 0.5-120 μΜ ClO^- with 0.27 μΜ of limit of detection (LOD). Most significantly, the C-dots can localize at intracellular lysosome to image ClO^- in lysosomes. Also, the magnetic nanocomposites (C-dots@Fe₃O₄ MNCs) were fabricated via a simple electrostatic self-assembly between Fe₃O₄ magnetic nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄ MNPs) and C-dots for highly efficient removal of ClO^- in real samples. Therefore, lysosome-targetable C-dots-based probes for real-time monitoring ClO^- were successfully constructed, opening up a promising door to investigate the biological functions and pathological roles of ClO^- at organelle levels.

Nitrogen doped carbon quantum dots (N-CQDs) with high luminescence for sensitive and selective detection of hypochlorite ions by fluorescence quenching

A highly luminescent nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots (N-CQDs) with a quantum yield of 44% was prepared by a facile hydrothermal synthesis method using citric acid (CA) and ethylenediamine (EDA) with a molar ratio of 1:1 at 200 °C for 5 h. The hypochlorite (ClO^-) ions significantly quench the fluorescence of the N-CQDs according to a pseudo-second-order kinetic model. A sensitive and selective quantification method with an excellent linearity in the range of 1.0-10.0 μM was developed to detect ClO^- ions based on the fluorescence quenching. The limit of detection (LOD) of 0.43 μM and the limit of quantification (LOQ) of 1.04 μM were achieved, respectively. This approach was successfully applied to detect the residual ClO^- ions in local tap water and in swimming pool water. In addition, the developed fluorescence quenching method was also successfully applied in anti-counterfeiting and paper encryption. Both of the applications in real world suggest that the as-prepared N-CQDs is a kind of promising fluorescence probe for rapid detecting ClO^- ions in environment fields, and has potential applications in text secrecy fields.

Nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots as fluorescent nanosensor for selective determination and cellular imaging of ClO. SPECTROCHIMICA ACTA. PART A, MOLECULAR AND BIOMOLECULAR SPECTROSCOPY 2022;271:120941. [PMID: 35114635 DOI: 10.1016/j.saa.2022.120941]

The carbon nanomaterial based fluorescent probes have been widely applied in biological imaging. In the current research, we propose an interesting strategy for selective sensing of hypochlorite (ClO^-) by a water-soluble and highly fluorescent nanosensor based on the N-doped carbon quantum dots (CDs) which was fabricated by a facile and environmental friendly hydrothermal approach from polyvinyl pyrrolidone, L-arginine and tryptophan. The structural characteristics of the probe were measured by multitudinous methods which proved the nanometer spherical structure of the probe and the successfully N-doping. Fluorescent investigation demonstrated that the probe is not only highly stable under interferences of pH, ionic strength, and irradiation, but also significantly selective toward ClO^- amongst a variety of attractive bioactive species through the fluorescent quenching process which was correlative with the concentration of ClO^- and linearly in the range of 0.1-50 μmol·L^-1 with the sensitivity of 0.03 μmol·L^-1. The probe can also be further illustrated in a prospective application for determination of ClO^- in environmental water through both solution response and filer paper sensing. Moreover, the positive biocompatibility and ignorable cytotoxicity made the probe a promising effective agent for detection and visualizing ClO^- in living cells which can facilitate the understanding the oxidative stress from the overexpressing ClO^-.

N-doped carbon dots as robust fluorescent probes for the rapid detection of hypochlorite

N-doped carbon dots (NCDs) with high quantum yield (67%), which could act as robust fluorescent probes for the detection of free chlorine in local tap water with rapid response and accurate measurement, were efficiently prepared.

Synthesis of Fluorescent Nitrogen and Phosphorous Co-doped Carbon Quantum Dots for Sensing of Iron, Cell Imaging and Antioxidant Activities

Carbon quantum dots (CQD) as the result of their exceptional physical and chemical properties show tremendous potential in various field of applications like cell imaging and doping of CQDs with elements like nitrogen and phosphorous increase its fluorescence property. Herein, we have synthesized fluorescent nitrogen and phosphorous codoped carbon quantum dots (NPCQDs) via a one-pot hydrothermal method. Sesame oil, L-Aspartic acid, and phosphoric acid were used as carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorous sources, respectively. UV-Vis spectrophotometer, fluorescence spectrometer, Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR), X-ray diffraction spectrometer (XRD), field emission scanning microscopy (FESEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were employed to characterize the synthesized fluorescent NPCQDs. The as-synthesized NPCQDs with a particle size of 4.7 nm possess excellent water solubility, high fluorescence with high quantum yield (46%), high ionic stability, and resistance to photobleaching. MTT assay indicated the biocompatibility of NPCQDs and it was used for multicolor live-cell imaging. Besides, the NPCQDs show an effective probe of iron ions (Fe3+) in an aqueous solution with a high degree of sensitivity and selectivity. The DPPH assay showed its good antioxidant activity.

Highly Fluorescent N-Doped Carbon Quantum Dots Derived from Bamboo Stems for Selective Detection of Fe3+ Ions in Biological Systems

The establishment of sensing platform for trace analysis of Fe³⁺ in biological systems is meaningful for health monitoring. Herein, a Fe³⁺ sensitive fluorescent nanoprobe was constructed based on highly fluorescent N-doped carbon quantum dots (NCQDs) derived from bamboo stems through a hydrothermal method employing ethylenediamine as the nitrogen dopant. The prepared NCQDs had a uniformly distributed size and their mean size was around 2.43 nm. Abundant functional groups (C=N, N-H, C=O, and carboxyl) anchored on NCQDs demonstrated successful doping of N in CQDs. The obtained NCQDs possessed a high fluorescence quantum yield of 20.02% and outstanding fluorescence stability over a wide pH range and at high ionic strengths. Moreover, Fe³⁺ ions presented a specific fluorescent quenching effect to the as-prepared NCQDs. The calibration curve for fluorescence quenching degree corresponding to Fe³⁺ concentration showed a linear response in a range of 0.01-10 µM, and detection limit was 0.486 µM, which indicated that the NCQDs had high sensitivity to Fe³⁺ ions. Ascribed to these unique properties, the NCQDs were selected as luminescent probes for trace amount of Fe³⁺ ions in human serum. These results demonstrated their promising use in clinical diagnostics and other biologically relevant studies.

Ultrasensitive Fe3+ ion detection based on pH-insensitive fluorescent graphene nanosensors in strong acid and neutral media

Schematic illustration of the preparation of FRGO and the detection of Fe³⁺ ions in strong acid and neutral media.