A high-performance fluorescent probe for dopamine detection based on g-C3N4 nanofibers

A novel fluorescent sensor based on g-C3N4 nanofibers for the sensitive detection of dopamine (DA) has been proposed. We synthesized g-C3N4 nanofibers by directly hydrolyzing bulk g-C3N4 in the alkaline atmosphere (3 M NaOH). The obtained ultrathin g-C3N4 nanofibers were verified by characterizations of Transmission electronic microscope (TEM), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), Fourier transformation-infrared (FT-IR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). It was found that the fluorescence intensity of g-C3N4 nanofibers was obviously quenched by DA. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) between DA and g-C3N4 nanofibers led to the fluorescence reduction of g-C3N4 nanofibers. The fluorescent probe based on g-C3N4 nanofibers exhibits linear responses to the concentration of DA in the range from 0 to 4 mu M and 4 to 20 mu M, the limit of detection is 17 nM. The fluorescent probe shows excellent stability, good selectivity with its application in serums. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.