Article Title

Flavonoid moiety-incorporated carbon dots for ultrasensitive and highly selective fluorescence detection and removal of Pb²⁺

Authors

Jing Xu, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Innovative Drug Research Centre, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400013, China
Xu Jie, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Innovative Drug Research Centre, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400013, China
Fengfeng Xie, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Innovative Drug Research Centre, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400013, China
Haimei Yang, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Innovative Drug Research Centre, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400013, China
Weili Wei, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Innovative Drug Research Centre, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400013, China
Zhining Xia, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Innovative Drug Research Centre, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400013, China

Keywords

flavonoid, carbon dot, fluorescence, lead ion, removal

Abstract

ABSTRACT A new type of self-targeting carbon dot (CD-Fla) for the detection of the toxic heavy metal ion Pb2+ was synthesized via a one-pot hydrothermal route using flavonoid extracts of Ginkgo biloba leaves as the starting material. As-prepared CD-Fla exhibited excellent biocompatibility and strong blue emission with a quantum yield of 16.1% and significant fluorescence quenching selectivity for Pb2+ without using any additional targeting molecules. CD-Fla could detect Pb2+ quantitatively within the range 0.1–20.0 nM, with an ultrahigh sensitivity of 55 pM. The selectivity of CD-Fla for Pb2+ was nearly one order of magnitude higher than that for other relevant metal ions. This was much better than ever reported CD-based metal ion sensors. The high sensitivity and selectivity were due to the incorporation of certain flavonoid-like moieties into CD-Fla. CD-Fla was also demonstrated to be a good probe for fluorescence tracing of intracellular Pb2+. The capability of CD-Fla was further improved when it was doped on agarose hydrogel. CD-Fla-doped agarose hydrogel (CD-AHG) allowed for visual fluorescence detection and removal of Pb2+ from water. This was confirmed by testing CD-AHG in actual water samples taken from the Jialing River (Chongqing, China). The Pb2+ adsorbed CD-AHG was regenerable in HCl solution. This study will open a new avenue for synthesizing intelligent materials capable of simultaneously targeting, detecting, and treating heavy metal ions.

Graphical Abstract

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-017-1931-6

Publisher

Tsinghua University Press

Recommended Citation

Jing Xu,Xu Jie,Fengfeng Xie,Haimei Yang,Weili Wei,Zhining Xia, Flavonoid moiety-incorporated carbon dots for ultrasensitive and highly selective fluorescence detection and removal of Pb2+. NanoRes.2018, 11(7): 3648–3657