Sulfhydryl functionalized carbon quantum dots as a turn-off fluorescent probe for sensitive detection of Hg(2+)

Mercury ion (Hg(2+)) is one of the most toxic heavy metal ions and lowering the detection limit of Hg(2+) is always a challenge in analytical chemistry and environmental analysis. In this work, sulfhydryl functionalized carbon quantum dots (HS-CQDs) were synthesized through a one-pot hydrothermal method. The obtained HS-CQDs were able to detect mercury ions Hg(2+) rapidly and sensitively through fluorescence quenching, which may be ascribed to the formation of nonfluorescent ground-state complexes and electron transfer reaction between HS-CQDs and Hg(2+). A modification of the HS-CQD surface by –SH was confirmed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The HS-CQDs sensing system obtained a good linear relationship over a Hg(2+) concentration ranging from 0.45 μM to 2.1 μM with a detection limit of 12 nM. Delightfully, the sensor has been successfully used to detect Hg(2+) in real samples with satisfactory results. This means that the sensor has the potential to be used for testing actual samples.