Preparation and application of Silica Quantum Dots using palygorskite as silicon source

Abstract

In this study, SiO2 Quantum Dots were produced by a simple acid-base hydrothermal treatment method using the widely available and low cost palygorskite as silicon source. The characterization results proved that the prepared SiO2 Quantum Dots have good crystal form, excellent dispersion and stability, with an average particle diameter of 1.8 ± 0.1 nm. Since the fluorescence intensity of the SiO2 Quantum Dots can be quenched in the presence of Fe3+, the SiO2 Quantum Dots was used for specific ferric ion detection. And this fluorescence change phenomenon is mainly attributed to the electron transfer mechanism integrated with filter effect. Moreover, the result shows that SiO2 Quantum Dots showed high potential applicability in the field of biological cells due to its low cytotoxicity.