A Polycaprolactone-Capped ZnO Quantum Dots-Based Fluorometric Sensor for the Detection of Fe³⁺ Ions in Seawater

Fe³⁺ ion plays a very active role in life, agriculture, and industry. Human health and the environment are seriously affected by the abnormal presence or excess of this cation. Therefore, the development of a fast, reliable, sensitive, and simple fluorescent probe to detect this cation is crucial. In the present paper, polycaprolactone-capped zinc oxide quantum dots were prepared for the determination of Fe³⁺ ions. The proposed fluorescent chemosensor exhibited a fluorometric and strong quenching effect toward Fe³⁺ ions at two wavelengths (303 and 602 nm). The limit of detection (LOD) was calculated as 0.410, and 0.333µM at the mentioned wavelengths. Also, the binding stoichiometric ratio was calculated as 1:1 by Job's plot. The findings indicated that the PCL@ZnO colorimetric chemosensor could be successfully applied with reliable, and good accuracy for the detection of Fe³⁺ ions in real seawater samples.