Simple hydrothermal approach for synthesis of fluorescent molybdenum disulfide quantum dots: Sensing of Cr3+ ion and cellular imaging

Nowadays, fluorescent molybdenum disulfide quantum dots (MoS2 QDs) have proven to be potential candidates in the sensing and bioimaging areas owing to their exceptional intrinsic characteristics. Here, a simple hydrothermal strategy was explored for the preparation of MoS2 QDs using ammonium heptamolybdate and 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) as precursors. The emission peak of MoS2 QDs was significantly quenched in the presence Cr3+ ion due to the selective surface chemistry on the surfaces of MoS2 QDs. The designed fluorescent MoS2 QDs showed a linear fluorescence quenching response with increasing concentration of Cr3+ ion (0.1-10 mu M), allowing to detect Cr3+ ion even at 0.08 mu M. This fluorescent MoS2 QDs were utilized for the quantification of Cr3+ ion in real samples (water and biological samples). Interestingly, the synthesized MoS2 QDs exhibited negligible cytotoxicity on NRK cells and acted as good candidates for imaging of Trichoderma viride fungal cells.