One-step high-yield preparation of nitrogen- and sulfur-codoped carbon dots with applications in chromium(vi) and ascorbic acid detection

Fanrong Meng; Haoran Xu; Shuolin Wang; Jingxian Wei; Wengong Zhou; Qiang Wang; Peng Li; Fangong Kong; Yucang Zhang

doi:10.1039/d2ra01758j

One-step high-yield preparation of nitrogen- and sulfur-codoped carbon dots with applications in chromium(vi) and ascorbic acid detection

RSC Adv. 2022 Jul 13;12(30):19686-19694. doi: 10.1039/d2ra01758j. eCollection 2022 Jun 29.

Authors

Fanrong Meng^{1

2}, Haoran Xu¹, Shuolin Wang¹, Jingxian Wei¹, Wengong Zhou¹, Qiang Wang¹, Peng Li¹, Fangong Kong¹, Yucang Zhang²

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Biobased Material and Green Papermaking, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences) Jinan 250353 P. R. China.
² College of Food and Biological Engineering, Jimei University Xiamen 361021 P. R. China yczhang@jmu.edu.cn.

Abstract

In this research, a nitrogen- (N) and sulfur- (S) codoped carbon dot (CDs-IPM)-based sensor was synthesized using a single-step hydrothermal method. Specifically, microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) was the main raw material, which was extracted from banana pseudo-stem-based waste, while autonomous sulfonic acid-functionalized ionic liquid (SO₃H-IL) and polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG 400) acted as the N, S dopant, and surface modifier, respectively. Comprehensive spectroscopic characterization of the synthesized CDs-IPM revealed the introduction of S, N atoms in the matrix with existence of surface oxygenic functional groups. The CDs-IPM possessed enhanced photoluminescence (PL) intensity, synthetic yield, and PL quantum yield (PLQY). Additionally, electron transfer between the CDs-IPM, hexavalent chromium (Cr(vi)), and subsequent ascorbic acid (AA) succeeded in turning the fluorescence on and off. The detection limit was 17 nM for Cr(vi), while it was 103 nM for AA. Our study data can simplify the process of synthesis of CDs utilizing biodegradable starting materials. The probe reported in this study may serve as a valuable addition to the field of environment monitoring by virtue of its enhanced detection sensitivity, high selectivity, and stability.