The synthesis of B, N-carbon dots by a combustion method and the application of fluorescence detection for Cu2+

Abstract

Heteroatom doping is an efficient approach to regulate the fluorescence properties of carbon dots. Using aminophenylboronic acid as the raw material, a combustion method was developed for the synthesis of boron, nitrogen-doped carbon dots (B, N-carbon dots). The B, N-carbon dots emitted green fluorescence and displayed high resistance to both photo bleaching and ionic strength. A facile fluorescence sensing approach for Cu2+ was fabricated via static fluorescence quenching. Under optimal conditions, a rapid detection of Cu2+ could be completed in 2min with a linearity ranging from 1μmol/L to 25μmol/L and a detection limit of 0.3μmol/L. Furthermore, the proposed method showed potential applications for the detection of Cu2+ in natural water samples.