High selectivity and fluorescence reversible Eu³⁺ sensor based on GSH-capped AgZnInS QDs

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Fluorescence sensors for trivalent europium ions (Eu³⁺) are rarely documented.
• Developing selective and sensitive detection methods for Eu³⁺ is crucial for various applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize water-soluble quaternary quantum dots (QDs).
• To investigate the application of these QDs as fluorescence sensors for Eu³⁺ detection.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of glutathione (GSH)-capped AgZnInS (AZIS) quantum dots.
• Testing the fluorescence response of AZIS QDs to Eu³⁺ in the presence of other metal cations.
• Investigating the effect of OH- on the fluorescence response.

Main Results:

• The synthesized AZIS QDs exhibited high sensitivity and selectivity towards Eu³⁺ among 12 tested metal cations.
• Increasing Eu³⁺ concentration led to fluorescence quenching and a peak wavelength blueshift.
• The addition of OH- reversed the observed fluorescence response.

Conclusions:

• GSH-capped AZIS QDs offer a promising new platform for Eu³⁺ detection.
• Electron transfer is proposed as the mechanism for fluorescence quenching and spectral shifts.
• This study presents a novel method for the detection of Eu³⁺.