In the present study, a new fluorescence probe based on dithizone-etched CdTe nanoparticles was designed for the sensitive and selective detection of cadmium ions in environmental samples via a reversible off-on fluorescence mode. At first, the initial bright fluorescence of l-cysteine-capped CdTe NPs could be effectively quenched in the presence of dithizone (DZ) due to the chemical etching effect, which results from the breaking of Cd-thiol layers by DZ, thus leading to a decrease in the NPs surface passivation. Then, upon the addition of Cd2+, the weak fluorescence of the CdTe NPs-DZ system gradually recovered, owing to the occurrence of Cd-thiol passivation layers on the surface of the NPs. Under optimal conditions, a good linear relationship was obtained in the range from 0.4 μM to 15.4 μM for Cd2+, with a detection limit of 0.13 μM. In addition, this CdTe NPs-based nanosensor presents remarkable selectivity for Cd2+ over other metal ions and was successfully applied for the detection of Cd2+ in real water samples with satisfactory results, demonstrating its potential application for the determination of Cd2+ in the environment.
CITATION STYLE
Li, L., Liao, L., Ding, Y., & Zeng, H. (2017). Dithizone-etched CdTe nanoparticles-based fluorescence sensor for the off-on detection of cadmium ion in aqueous media. RSC Advances, 7(17), 10361–10368. https://doi.org/10.1039/C6RA24971J
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