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A dual emission nanocomposite prepared from copper nanoclusters and carbon dots as a ratiometric fluorescent probe for sulfide and gaseous H2S

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Abstract

A series of dual-emission fluorescent probes was prepared from copper nanoclusters (Cu NCs) and carbon dots (CDs). They show two emission peaks (blue at 469 nm and red at 622 nm) when photoexcited at 365 nm. Upon exposure to sulfide, the Cu NCs will be deteriorated because they react with sulfide to form CuS. This results in the quenching of the red fluorescence of the Cu NCs, while the blue fluorescence of the CDs remains constant. Thus, the color of the nanocomposite changes from red to blue. The ratio of the fluorescences at the two wavelengths decreases linearly in the 2–10 ppb (26–128 nM) sulfide concentration range, and the limit of detection is 0.33 ppb (4.3 nM). The nanocomposite also was placed in an agar gel and then incorporated into a paper strip for fluorometric monitoring of gaseous hydrogen sulfide.

Schematic presentation of the synthesis of Cu NCs (copper nanoclusters)-CDs (carbon dots) dual-emission nano-assembly, Cu NCs-CDs-agar fluorescent film and their application for the detection of sulfide and H2S.

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Acknowledgments

This work is supported by Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant No. LY18E030010, and National Key Research and Development Program of China through grant 2016YFB0101200, 2016YFB0101205. Dr. C. Wang would like to thank for open project of state key laboratory of supramolecular structure and materials (sklssm201819). Dr. M. Yang would like to thank for the National “Thousand Youth Tal-ents” program of China and Ningbo 3315 program.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Materials Science and Engineering Department, Dalian Maritime University, Dalian, 116026, People’s Republic of China

    Zhuoqi Wen & Pei Wang

  2. Institute of New Energy Technology, Ningbo Institute of Industrial Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo, 315201, People’s Republic of China

    Shanliang Song, Tantan Hu, Chuanxi Wang, Fengdong Qu & Minghui Yang

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  1. Zhuoqi Wen
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  2. Shanliang Song
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  4. Chuanxi Wang
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  6. Pei Wang
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  7. Minghui Yang
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Correspondence to Chuanxi Wang, Pei Wang or Minghui Yang.

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Wen, Z., Song, S., Hu, T. et al. A dual emission nanocomposite prepared from copper nanoclusters and carbon dots as a ratiometric fluorescent probe for sulfide and gaseous H2S. Microchim Acta 186, 258 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-019-3295-y

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