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Facile synthesis of N-doped carbon dots for direct/indirect detection of heavy metal ions and cell imaging

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Abstract

In this study, an approach for the facile, rapid, energy-saving, and sensitive determination of Fe3+ and Cr(VI) was developed. L-arginine/D-glucose carbon quantum dots (Arg/Glu-CQDs), with a photoluminescence quantum yield of 21%, were synthesized from L-arginine and D-glucose through a facile, hydrothermal process. The maximum emission wavelength of Arg/Glu-CQDs was observed at 450 nm, under an excitation wavelength of 365 nm. In addition, Arg/Glu-CQDs exhibited a sensitive and selective response to Fe3+ compared to Fe2+ and other metal ions. The Arg/Glu-CQDs’ fluorescence was noticeably quenched through the inner filter effect (IFE) when Arg/Glu-CQDs were mixed with Fe3+. Accordingly, the Arg/Glu-CQDs/Fe2+ system could selectively detect Cr(VI); Cr(VI) could oxidize Fe2+ to Fe3+ and quench the fluorescence. The fluorescence sensor system (i.e., the Arg/Glu-CQDs/Fe2+ system) showed high sensitivity and excellent selectivity for the detection of Fe3+ and Cr(VI) in river water samples. Satisfactory detection efficiencies ranging from 97.07 to 103.46% were obtained. The cytotoxicity of Arg/Glu-CQDs was evaluated through an MTT assay using A549 cells as the target, to extend the application of Arg/Glu-CQDs to biological systems; the MTT assay indicated that the Arg/Glu-CQDs is non-cytotoxicity. Arg/Glu-CQDs were also successfully imaged in A549 cells indicating further application possibilities in bioimaging.

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Data availability

The datasets used and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Funding

This work was financially supported by the Key Technologies Research and Development Program (2016YFC0501205, 2016YFC0501208 and 2017YFD0200706), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21775163).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Resources and Environment Sciences, China Agricultural University, No. 2 Yuanmingyuan West Road, Haidian, Beijing, 100193, People’s Republic of China

    Zijun Xu, Jin Liu, Kejia Wang, Binwei Yan, Shuwen Hu, Xueqin Ren & Zideng Gao

  2. Beijing Key Laboratory of Farmland Soil Pollution Prevention and Remediation, Beijing, 100193, People’s Republic of China

    Shuwen Hu & Xueqin Ren

Authors
  1. Zijun Xu
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  2. Jin Liu
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  3. Kejia Wang
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  4. Binwei Yan
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  5. Shuwen Hu
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  6. Xueqin Ren
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  7. Zideng Gao
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Contributions

Conceptualization: Zijun Xu; Formal analysis and investigation: Jin Liu, Kejia Wang; Writing - original draft preparation: Zijun Xu, Binwei Yan; Writing-review and editing: Xueqin Ren, Zideng Gao; Funding acquisition: Xueqin Ren, Shuwen Hu; Supervision: Xueqin Ren, Zideng Gao.

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Correspondence to Xueqin Ren or Zideng Gao.

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The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

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Approval was obtained from the ethics committee of China Agricultural University. The procedures used in this study adhere to the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki.

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Responsible Editor: Santiago V. Luis

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Xu, Z., Liu, J., Wang, K. et al. Facile synthesis of N-doped carbon dots for direct/indirect detection of heavy metal ions and cell imaging. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 19878–19889 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-11880-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-11880-z

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