Carbon dots fluorescence-based colorimetric sensor for sensitive detection of aluminum ions with a smartphone

Abstract

In this work, blue emission carbon dots (CDs) are synthesized in the one-pot solvothermal method using naringin as precursor. The CDs are used to develop a ratiometric fluorescence sensor for the sensitive analysis of Al3+ with a detection limit of 113.8 nM. A fluorescence emission peak at 500 nm gradually appears, whereas the original fluorescence peak at 420 nm gradually decreases upon the increase in the Al3+ concentration. More importantly, the obvious color change of the CDs probe from blue to green under a 360 nm UV lamp can be identified by a smartphone and combined with the RGB (red/green/blue) analysis. This results in a visual and sensitive analysis of Al3+ with a detection limit of 5.55 µM. Moreover, the high recovery is in the 92.46–104.10% range, which demonstrates the high accuracy of this method for actual samples’ analysis. The use of a smartphone and the RGB analysis greatly simplifies the operation process, saves equipment cost, shortens the detection time, and provides a novel method for the instant, on-site, visual detection of Al3+ in actual samples.