A Highly Sensitive and Selective Fluorescent Probe Using MPA-InP/ZnS QDs for Detection of Trace Amounts of Cu(2+) in Water

Detection of copper (II) ions (Cu(2+)) in water is important for preventing them from entering the human body to preserve human health. Here, a highly sensitive and selective fluorescence probe that uses mercaptopropionic acid (MPA)-capped InP/ZnS quantum dots (MPA-InP/ZnS QDs) was proposed for the detection of trace amounts of Cu(2+) in water. The fluorescence of MPA-InP/ZnS QDs can be quenched significantly in the presence of Cu(2+), and the fluorescence intensity shows excellent linearity when the concentration of Cu(2+) varies from 0–1000 nM; this probe also exhibits an extremely low limit of detection of 0.22 nM. Furthermore, a possible fluorescence-quenching mechanism was proposed. The MPA-InP/ZnS QDs probes were further applied to the detection of trace Cu(2+) in real water samples and drink samples, showing good feasibility.