Ratiometric fluorometric determination of the anthrax biomarker 2,6-dipicolinic acid by using europium(III)-doped carbon dots in a test stripe.

Abstract

Europium(III)-doped carbon dots (Eu-CDs) were prepared from citric acid and europium nitrate via a one-pot pyrolytic method. The Eu-CDs emit intense blue fluorescence (with excitation/emission peaks at 365/465nm), are water soluble and biocompatible. On addition of 2,6-dipicolinic acid (DPA; an anthrax biomarker), ligand-to-ion energy transfer occurs from DPA to Eu(III) which has a red emission peaking at 615nm. This results in an increase of the intensity of the red fluorescence. DPA can be detected by the ratio of fluorescence intensities at 616 and 475nm. The method has an analytical range that extends from 5 to 700nmol·L-1, with a 5nmol·L-1 detection limit. The Eu-CDs also were incorporated into a test paper for visual detection of DPA with a portable UV lamp and a smartphone. In this case, the detection limit is 1μmol·L-1. The Eu-CDs internalize well into HeLa cells, and this paves the way to bioimaging. Graphical abstract Schematic of a method for visual detection of 2,6-dipicolinic acid (DPA, an anthrax biomarker) by using a test stripe impregnated with europium(III)-doped carbon dots (Eu-CDs).