Sensitive and selective sensing system of metallothioneins based on carbon quantum dots and gold nanoparticles

Abstract

In this study, we developed a sensitive and selective sensing system for the detection of metallothioneins (MTs). The system is based on the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) between carbon quantum dots (CQDs) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). In this method, the fluorescence emission of CQDs was quenched by AuNPs due to FRET. When MTs were added to the CQD–AuNP system, the strong combination between thiol group and Au made the CQDs release from AuNPs, and the fluorescence of CQDs was recovered. The CQD–AuNP system can detect the MTs in aqueous solution (pH 3.0, citrate–HCl buffer) selectively and sensitively with a short response time (15 min). Results show that the fluorescence recovery efficiency has a good linear relationship with the MTs concentration in the range of 12–210 nmol L−1, and the limit of detection was 5.25 × 10−9 mol L−1. Furthermore, the sensing system was utilized to determine MTs in human urine samples with satisfactory results. The proposed system exhibits the advantages of high sensitivity, high selectivity, easy operation and most importantly, low cost and non-cytotoxicity to detect protein MTs.