A high-performance fluorescent probe for dopamine detection based on g-C₃N₄ nanofibers

A novel fluorescent sensor based on g-C₃N₄ nanofibers for the sensitive detection of dopamine (DA) has been proposed. We synthesized g-C₃N₄ nanofibers by directly hydrolyzing bulk g-C₃N₄ in the alkaline atmosphere (3 M NaOH). The obtained ultrathin g-C₃N₄ nanofibers were verified by characterizations of Transmission electronic microscope (TEM), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), Fourier transformation-infrared (FT-IR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). It was found that the fluorescence intensity of g-C₃N₄ nanofibers was obviously quenched by DA. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) between DA and g-C₃N₄ nanofibers led to the fluorescence reduction of g-C₃N₄ nanofibers. The fluorescent probe based on g-C₃N₄ nanofibers exhibits linear responses to the concentration of DA in the range from 0 to 4 μM and 4 to 20 μM, the limit of detection is 17 nM. The fluorescent probe shows excellent stability, good selectivity with its application in serums.