Issue 5, 2015
From the journal:

Analytical Methods

A highly sensitive fluorescence assay for 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene using amine-capped silicon quantum dots as a probe†

Rui Ban,ac   Fenfen Zhenga  and  Jianrong Zhang*ab  

* Corresponding authors

a State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, P. R. China
E-mail: jrzhang@nju.edu.cn
Fax: +86 25 83317761
Tel: +86 25 83686130

b School of Chemistry and Life Science, Nanjing University Jinling College, Nanjing 210089, P. R. China

c School of Chemistry and Environmental Science, Guizhou Minzu University, Guiyang, P. R. China

Abstract

We present a simple and effective fluorescence method for the detection of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), which is based on TNT recognition by amine-capped silicon quantum dots (SiQDs). The highly luminescent functionalized SiQDs were obtained by a one-step hydrothermal process, using 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane as the precursor. The as-prepared SiQDs were directly used as a recognition probe for the detection of TNT because of the strong interactions between the TNT molecule and the SiQDs with an amine group. The formation of Meisenheimer complexes (TNT–amine complexes) could quench the fluorescence of SiQDs by fluorescence resonance energy transfer. Such fluorescence response could be used to quantify TNT over the range of 5–500 nM with a detection limit down to 1 nM, and has been successfully applied for the assay of TNT in spiked tap water. The probe exhibited excellent selectivity. This method has great potential for applications in TNT detection.

Graphical abstract: A highly sensitive fluorescence assay for 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene using amine-capped silicon quantum dots as a probe

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Article information

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1039/C4AY02729A
Article type
Paper
Submitted
15 Nov 2014
Accepted
25 Dec 2014
First published
02 Jan 2015

Anal. Methods, 2015,7, 1732-1737

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A highly sensitive fluorescence assay for 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene using amine-capped silicon quantum dots as a probe

R. Ban, F. Zheng and J. Zhang, Anal. Methods, 2015, 7, 1732 DOI: 10.1039/C4AY02729A

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