Highly sensitive fluorometric method based on nitrogen-doped carbon dot clusters for tartrazine determination in...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Analytical Chemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Carbon nanodots (CDs) are emerging nanomaterials with unique optical properties.
• Nitrogen doping enhances the photoluminescence and sensing capabilities of carbon nanodots.
• Developing sensitive and selective methods for food additive detection is crucial for consumer safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize nitrogen-doped carbon nanodots (CDs) using a solvothermal method.
• To characterize the optical and surface properties of the synthesized CDs.
• To develop a highly sensitive fluorescence-based assay for tartrazine determination.

Main Methods:

• Solvothermal synthesis using urea and triethylene glycol.
• Characterization of surface composition and optical properties.
• Fluorescence quenching assay for tartrazine detection.

Main Results:

• Successfully synthesized nitrogen-doped carbon nanodots (CDs) with multicolor emission.
• Demonstrated a linear relationship between fluorescence quenching and tartrazine concentration (0.5-30.0 μM).
• Achieved a low detection limit of 0.18 μM for tartrazine, with good recovery in cookie samples.

Conclusions:

• Nitrogen-doped carbon nanodots are effective fluorescent probes for sensitive tartrazine detection.
• The developed method shows potential for practical application in food safety analysis.
• This study highlights the utility of engineered nanomaterials in analytical chemistry.