Electrochemical synthesis of FeN_(x) doped carbon quantum dots for sensitive detection of Cu^(2+) ion

A novel strategy was developed to fabricate FeNx-doped carbon quantum dots(Fe-N-CQDs)to detect Cu^(2+) ions selectively as a fluorescence probe.The Fe-N-CQDs were synthesized by an efficient electrolysis of a carbon cloth electrode,which was coated with monoatomic ironanchored nitrogen-doped carbon(Fe-N-C).The obtained Fe-N-CQDs emitted blue fluorescence and possessed a quantum yield(QY)of 7.5%.An extremely wide linear relationship between the Cu^(2+) concentration and the fluorescence intensity was obtained in the range from 100 nmol L^(-1) to 1000 nmol L^(-1)(R^(2)=0.997),and the detection limit was calculated as 59 nmol L^(-1).Moreover,the Fe-N-CQDs demonstrated wide range pH compatibility between 2 and 13 due to the coordination between pyridine nitrogen and Fe^(3+),which dramatically reduced the affection of the protonation and deprotonation process between H^(+) and Fe-N-CQDs.It is notable that the Fe-N-CQDs exhibited a rapid response in Cu^(2+) detection,where stable quenching can be completed in 7 s.The mechanism of excellent selective detection of Cu^(2+) was revealed by energy level simulation that the LUMO level of Fe-N-CQDs(-4.37 eV)was close to the redox potential of Cu^(2+),thus facilitating the electron transport from Fe-N-CQDs to Cu^(2+).