The ratiometric fluorescent sensor based on the mixture of CdTe quantum dots and graphene quantum dots for quantitative analysis of silver in drinks

Abstract

Silver nanoparticles can be used in antibacterial packaging or disinfection. Research has shown that sugary fluid induces the leaching of silver nanoparticles into water, which may be harmful to humans. Single wavelength fluorescence analysis has been used for quantitative analysis of silver nanoparticles but suffers from low specificity and poor anti-interference ability. In this paper, a ratiometric fluorescence sensor system (GCS) was used for the detection of Ag⁺, which realized both visual detection and quantitative analysis of silver in drinks. The color changes of GCS with different concentrations of Ag⁺ are distinguishable and easy to analyze. There is also a good linear relationship between the concentrations of Ag⁺ and varieties of F_{424 nm}/F_{570 nm}, and the lowest detection limit reached 0.2266 nmol/L. This GCS shows good selectivity and recovery and could be used for the detection of Ag⁺ in drink samples.

Keywords: Ag(+); Colorimetric fluorescence analysis; Quantitative analysis; Ratiometric fluorescence.