Detection of ascorbic acid by persistent luminescent nanoparticles based on CoOOH nanosheets modification

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Persistent luminescent nanomaterials (PLNPs) offer unique optical properties for sensing applications.
• Developing sensitive and selective detection methods for biologically relevant molecules like ascorbic acid (AA) is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize novel persistent luminescent nanomaterials (PLNPs) for sensing applications.
• To develop a highly sensitive and selective method for detecting ascorbic acid (AA) using PLNPs and CoOOH nanosheets.

Main Methods:

• Hydrothermal synthesis of Zn$_{0.8}$Ga$_{2}$O$_{4}$: Cr$^{3+}$, Zr$^{3+}$ PLNPs.
• Surface modification of PLNPs with CoOOH nanosheets to act as luminescence quenchers.
• Utilizing the fluorescence internal filtering effect and redox reaction between CoOOH and AA for luminescence recovery.

Main Results:

• PLNPs exhibited high brightness and good dispersion.
• CoOOH nanosheets effectively quenched PLNPs' luminescence via fluorescence internal filtering.
• Ascorbic acid (AA) selectively reduced CoOOH to Co$^{2+}$, restoring PLNPs' luminescence.
• A linear relationship was observed between luminescence recovery and AA concentration (5–250 µM) with a detection limit of 0.72 µM.
• High recovery rates (97.9–102.2%) were achieved in spiked samples.

Conclusions:

• The developed method provides a sensitive and selective platform for AA detection based on luminescence recovery.
• This approach demonstrates potential for studying other redox-active substances in biological systems.