Rapid sensing of lead metal ions in an aqueous medium by MoS2 quantum dots fluorescence turn-off

The traditional methods used for the detection of heavy metal ions in an aqueous medium have been considered as complicated and time-consuming; therefore, it is highly recommended to find a rapid and sensitive probe. The functionalized molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) quantum dots (QDs) were developed and used as a sensitive fluorescent probe for monitoring the lead (Pb2+) ions in an aqueous medium. Photoluminescence (PL)/fluorescence intensity of the QDs strongly quenched in the presence of Pb2+ ions. The responsiveness of PL of QDs with Pb2+ in the range of 33 mu M to 8.0 mM makes it a wide dynamic range sensing probe with a limit of detection (LOD) of 50 mu M. Besides, the linear dependence of an absolute absorption intensity with the concentration of Pb2+ ions makes it a significant probe for monitoring the lead metal ions in an aqueous environment.