Silica nanodots: Luminescent effects and insights for the determination of catecholamines

Abstract

The effect of various catecholamines on the luminescent properties of silica nanodots (SiNDs) was studied and the new method using SiNDs that represent a promising green alternative to other analytical techniques for the determination of catecholamines has been developed. A change in spectral properties of SiNDs in the presence of catecholamines occurs, depending on the nature of the substance. Dopamine causes a decrease in the luminescence intensity of SiNDs at 445 nm whereas in the presence of norepinephrine and epinephrine a maximum appears in the luminescence spectrum of SiNDs at 500 and 510 nm, respectively. The intensity at 445 nm or the ratio of the intensities at 500 (510) nm and 445 nm can be used as analytical signals for the determination of the corresponding catecholamines. Limits of detection for dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine are 2, 0.06, and 0.14 µM, respectively.