Fluorescent Sensor Array Based on Black Plum Peels-Derived Carbon Dots for Multiplex Heavy Metal Ions Identification
Ling Yang1,2, Dandan Peng1, Haihu Tan1
1School of Packaging Engineering, Hunan University of Technology, Zhuzhou 412007, China.
Biosensors
|July 27, 2026
Summary
This study created a novel fluorescent sensor using carbon dots from black plum peels for accurate heavy metal detection in water. The cost-effective sensor precisely identifies eight metal ions and their mixtures, aiding environmental monitoring.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Analytical Chemistry
- Materials Science
Background:
- Accurate detection of heavy metal ions is crucial for environmental protection and public health.
- Existing methods for metal ion detection can be complex and costly.
- Developing simple, sensitive, and selective sensing platforms is an ongoing research challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a straightforward fluorescent sensing array for the precise identification of multiple heavy metal ions in environmental water.
- To utilize carbon dots derived from black plum peels (PCDs) as the sensing material.
- To evaluate the system's performance in complex matrices like river water.
Main Methods:
- Hydrothermal synthesis of three distinct carbon dots (PCDs) using phenylenediamine isomers as nitrogen dopants.
- Fabrication of a fluorescent sensing array for metal ion detection.
- Application of pattern recognition techniques, including linear discriminant analysis (LDA) and hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA), for ion discrimination.
- Optimization of reaction conditions, particularly pH (5-7).
Main Results:
- The synthesized PCDs exhibited distinct fluorescence responses to various metal ions.
- The optimized sensing array achieved high discrimination accuracy for eight heavy metal ions (Sn2+, Ag+, Hg2+, Fe3+, Cr3+, Pb2+, Sb3+, and Cu2+) within the concentration range of 5-400 μM.
- The array successfully identified binary and ternary mixtures of specific metal ions (Hg2+/Cu2+/Cr3+).
- Target metal ions were effectively detected in real river water samples.
Conclusions:
- The developed fluorescent sensing array based on black plum peel-derived carbon dots offers a cost-effective and scalable method for heavy metal ion detection.
- The system demonstrates high accuracy and selectivity, making it suitable for environmental water quality monitoring.
- This approach shows significant potential for application in food safety and environmental surveillance.
