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Ultrasensitive detection of heparin by exploiting the silver nanoparticle-enhanced fluorescence of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) quantum dots

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Abstract

A composite (Ag-g-CNQDs) was prepared from graphitic carbon nitride quantum dots and silver nanoparticles by water phase synthesis. Aided by metal-enhanced fluorescence, the composite exhibits excitation-dependent red emission with a peak at 600 nm with a quantum yield of 21%. If the composite is coated with polyethylenimine (PEI) to form the Ag-g-CNQD/PEI complexe, fluorescence is strongly reduced. Upon addition of heparin, the fluorescence of the system is enhanced because PEI has a higher affinity for heparin than Ag-g-CNQDs. The effect was used to design a fluorometric  assay for heparin. The emission at 600 nm increases linearly in the 0.025 to 2.5 μM heparin concentration range, with a 8.2 nM limit of detection.

Schematic illustration for fabricating a composite consisting of silver nanoparticles and graphitic carbon nitride quantum dots (Ag-g-CNQDs). Its red fluorescence is weak in presence of polyethyleneimine but restored on addition of heparin. This forms the basis for a new method for heparin detection.

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (21707030) and Wuhan Youth Science and technology plan (2016070204010133).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hubei Collaborative Innovation Center for Advanced Organic Chemical Materials, Ministry-of-Education Key Laboratory for the Synthesis and Application of Organic Functional Molecules, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hubei University, Wuhan, 430062, China

    Qiao Cheng, Yu He, Yili Ge & Gongwu Song

  2. Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Regional Development and Environment Response, Wuhan, 430062, China

    Yu He & Jiangang Zhou

Authors
  1. Qiao Cheng
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  2. Yu He
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  3. Yili Ge
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  4. Jiangang Zhou
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  5. Gongwu Song
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Correspondence to Yu He.

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Cheng, Q., He, Y., Ge, Y. et al. Ultrasensitive detection of heparin by exploiting the silver nanoparticle-enhanced fluorescence of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) quantum dots. Microchim Acta 185, 332 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-018-2864-9

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