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Silica-anchored cadmium sulfide nanocrystals for the optical detection of copper(II)

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Abstract

A fluorometric assay was developed for the determination of copper(II) ion based on its quenching effect on the green fluorescent probe of SiO2-anchored CdS nanocrystals (SiO2/CdS NCs). The fluorescent probe was prepared by a surface ion-directing strategy for homogeneous precipitation of CdS NCs onto the carboxyl-capped SiO2 core surfaces. In comparison to CdS NCs, the SiO2/CdS NCs has strong fluorescence emission and good photostability. Moreover, SiO2/CdS NCs show higher fluorescence selectivity for copper(II) ions than for other common metal ions because copper(II) ions have a strong fluorescence quenching effect on SiO2/CdS NCs. At excitation/emission wavelengths of 300/516 nm, the resulting fluorescent probe shows wide linear ranges from 0.01 to 2 μM with a detection limit of 6.3 nM for copper(II) ions. The method has been applied to the determination of trace copper(II) ions in tea infusions with satisfactory results.

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Funding

This work was supported by the Science and Technology Project of Anhui Province (Nos. 18030701164 and 1606c08229) and the National Undergraduate Training Program for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (No. 201910376005).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Physical Science and Information Technology, School of Chemical and Chemical Engineering, School of Life Science, Anhui University, Hefei, 230601, Anhui, China

    Tao Xie, Zhengjie Liu & Chenggen Xie

  2. Key Laboratory of Biomimetic Sensor and Detecting Technology of Anhui Province, School of Materials and Chemical Engineering, West Anhui University, Lu’an, 237012, Anhui, China

    Xufeng Zhong & Chenggen Xie

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  1. Tao Xie
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  2. Xufeng Zhong
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  3. Zhengjie Liu
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  4. Chenggen Xie
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Correspondence to Chenggen Xie.

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Research highlights

• The silica-anchored cadmium sulfide nanocrystals (SiO2/CdS NCs) were fabricated by a surface ion–directing homogeneous precipitation strategy.

• The SiO2/CdS NCs exhibit strong fluorescence emission, good photostability, and high fluorescence selectivity for Cu2+.

• The SiO2/CdS NCs were successfully applied as selective fluorescent probes for the determination of Cu2+ in the infusion of tea.

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Xie, T., Zhong, X., Liu, Z. et al. Silica-anchored cadmium sulfide nanocrystals for the optical detection of copper(II). Microchim Acta 187, 323 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-020-04295-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-020-04295-7

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