A Green, Economic Switch-On Sensor for Cefixime Analysis Based on Black Soya Bean Carbon Quantum Dots

Background: Cefixime is a third-generation oral cephalosporin antibiotic widely used to treat bacterial infections. Typical methods for cefixime analysis use expensive instruments or sophisticated experimental procedures, and thus a sensitive and practical method is urgently needed for cefixime detection and analysis. Objective: To develop a sensitive and robust cefixime switch-on sensor based on carbon quantum dots (CQDs). Methods: In this study, black soya beans were used as an inexpensive carbon source for a green synthesis of fluorescent black soya bean (BS)-carbon quantum dots (CQDs). The fluorescence of these particles could be efficiently quenched by Ce(IV)due to the ground state recombination and electron transfer (ET) between Ce(IV)and BS-CQDs. In the presence of cefixime, the ET was interrupted and the fluorescent signal was recovered. Results/Conclusions: This method showed high sensitivity and an impressively low detection limit of 169 nM. Highlights: This low-cost, simple strategy for cefixime detection exhibits excellent stability, selectivity, and sensitivity. Moreover, it was successfully applied for the detection of cefixime in tablets and in a complex biological environment, confirming its great potential utility for drug analysis, biological process research, and clinical research.