Journal
SPECTROCHIMICA ACTA PART A-MOLECULAR AND BIOMOLECULAR SPECTROSCOPY
Volume 275, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.saa.2022.121028
Keywords
Synthesis; Graphene quantum dot; Optical properties; pH probe; Cell imaging
Categories
Funding
- China Postdoctoral Science Foundation [2021M702770]
- National Natural Science Foundation of China [21576115]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Graphene quantum dots are a promising material used in various fields such as biosensing, fluorescence imaging, biomedicine, and environmental monitoring. This study presents a synthesis method for producing polychromatic graphene quantum dots with high luminous efficiency. The synthesized graphene quantum dots exhibit switchable two-color luminescence and sensitivity to environmental pH value.
Graphene quantum dots have been widely applied in biosensing, fluorescence imaging, biomedicine, energy storage and conversion and catalysis, but design and synthesis of polychromatic graphene quantum dot with high luminous efficiency still faces great challenges. The study reports synthesis of histidine, serine and pentaethylenehexamine-functionalized and boron-doped graphene quantum dot (HSPB-GQD) via one-step pyrolysis. The resulting HSPB-GQD consists of graphene sheets of 2-5 nm with carboxyl, hydroxyl, amino, imino and imidazole. Synergy of histidine, serine, pentaethylenehexamine and boron atoms improves the luminescence behavior. This realizes unique switchable two-color luminescence. UV excitation of 370 nm produces one strong blue fluorescence with the maximum emission wavelength of 455 nm and quantum yield of 72.34%. Vis. excitation of 480 nm produces one strong yellow fluorescence with the maximum emission wavelength of 560 nm and quantum yield of 72.59%. The multiple proton dissociation system constructed by nitrogen-containing and oxygen-containing groups makes yellow fluorescence sensitive to environmental pH value. The intensity linearly increases with increasing pH in the range of 4.5-10.0. Organic molecules and inorganic ions do not interfere pH detection. HSPB-GQD as a promising fluorescence probe with negligible effect on cell viability was successfully applied to pH detection in biological and environmental water samples and cell imaging. (C) 2022 Published by Elsevier B.V.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available