Selective determination of acetone by carbon nanodots based on inner filter effect

Fluorescent sensing of acetone has been achieved taking advantage of the unique optical property of acetone. However, the complicated synthesis process of the fluorescent probes limited their application. Here, carbon nanodots (CNDs) derived from glucose were chosen as the sensing material for the first time, which could be obtained by a one-pot microwave-assisted synthesis within 2 min. The CND had ultraviolet excitation spectrum, resulting in an obvious overlap between its excitation band with the absorption band of acetone. The fluorescent quenching occurred via inner filter effect with fast response. The CNDs showed sensitive response to acetone with a detection limit of 0.09 vol%, which was comparable to most previously reported MOF probes. The results of our work indicated the feasibility of IFE-based sensing method, and demonstrated an efficient and convenient way for acetone detection.