Polymer dots loaded fabric as quenching florescence sensor for selective detection of gold

Abstract

Polymer dots (PDs) as a type of carbon-based nanomaterials are characterized with excellent photoluminescence. Gold is known to be very reactive and potentially noxious for human being. Herein, an investigative methodology is demonstrated for exploiting acrylate wastes for clustering of florescent PDs to be sequentially applied as optical sensors for detection of gold ions (Au3+) in aquatic media. The synthesized PDs were successively immobilized within cationized cotton fabrics that acted as a supporting scaffold to prepare PDs@Fabric for sensitive and selective florescent detection of Au3+ to be commercialized with accurate and satisfactory results. Florescent PDs (5.6 ± 2.1 nm) with zetapotential ranged in −6.5, were successively immobilized within cellulose matrix of cationized cotton for preparation PDs@Fabric to act as quenching florescence scaffold for detection of Au3+ in aquatic media. The florescence response of PDs@Fabric was linear with respect to Au3+ concentration over range of 5 mM to 60 mM with a regression coefficient (R2) of 0.9895 at low concentrations (5–30 mM), owing to the static quenching mechanism. Meaning that, the fluorescence of PDs was quenched by Au3+ due to chemical coordination between Au3+ and the decorative groups on the surface of PDs, indicating their excellent selectivity to Au3+.