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A colorimetric and fluorometric dual-mode carbon dots probe derived from phenanthroline precursor for the selective detection of Fe2+ and Fe3+

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Abstract

Iron's metabolism is heavily involved in the regulation of redox balance for cell functions, however, the simultaneous monitoring of Fe2+/3+ concentration is still a great challenge due to their transitional nature in biological systems. A novel type of carbon dots (CDs) was synthesized by solvothermal treatment with 5-amino-1,10-phenanthroline (Aphen) and salicylic acid as precursors, and the resulting targeted CDs (T-CDs) were used to simultaneously detect Fe2+ and Fe3+. Comprehensive experimental characterizations revealed that the strong binding affinity of Aphen moiety to Fe2+ leads to the formation of rigid T-CDs aggregates, which causes a substantial enhancement of fluorescence intensity, whereas Fe3+ could cause the fluorescence quenching of T-CDs due to the oxidation‐reduction induced electron transfer. These different fluorescence responses allow T-CDs to sensitively differentiate Fe2+ from Fe3+, and give the limit of detection (LOD) of 1.78 and 2.78 μM for Fe2+ and Fe3+, respectively. Furthermore, the Aphen dominated structure endows the T-CDs with a colorimetric response to Fe2+ with a LOD of 0.13 μM, which is very different from Fe3+. Thus, the dynamic changes of Fe2+ and Fe3+ in solution can be accurately monitored by T-CDs within the total iron concentration of 50 μM, which is probably the most sensitive dual-mode probe reported so far. In addition, this probe is successfully applied to detect the Fe2+/3+ concentration in cells, demonstrating a huge application potential in the sensing of the dynamic equilibrium of these important transition metals during the cell metabolism or stimulated process.

Graphical abstract

The dynamic changes of Fe2+ and Fe3+ in solution can be accurately monitored by carbon dots based on the colorimetric and fluorometric dual-mode.

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Acknowledgements

This work is supported by Natural National Science Foundation of China (51973083), Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (JUSRP22027) and Scientific Research Project of Jiangsu Commission of Health (M2020005). Dr. Chan Wang would like to acknowledge the work of Central Laboratory, School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University.

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Author notes

  1. Tao Jiang and Jianfeng Huang contribute equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Synthetic and Biological Colloids, Ministry of Education, International Joint Research Center for Photoresponsive Molecules and Materials, School of Chemical and Material Engineering, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China

    Tao Jiang, Guoxia Ran, Qijun Song & Chan Wang

  2. Department of Radiation Oncology, Affiliated Hospital of Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, China

    Jianfeng Huang

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  1. Tao Jiang
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  2. Jianfeng Huang
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  3. Guoxia Ran
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Correspondence to Chan Wang.

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Jiang, T., Huang, J., Ran, G. et al. A colorimetric and fluorometric dual-mode carbon dots probe derived from phenanthroline precursor for the selective detection of Fe2+ and Fe3+. ANAL. SCI. 39, 325–333 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s44211-022-00236-x

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