Photoluminescence Detection of Fluorouracil (5-FU) Anticancer Drug by Carbon Quantum Dots Containing Nitrogen from Chestnut Fruits Synthesized by Green Chemistry

In this study, carbon quantum dots (CQDs) are synthesized by a green chemistry method, and their structural, compositional, chemical, morphological and optical properties are characterized by different techniques. The resulting CQDs contain nitrogen from chestnut fruits, making them suitable for detecting cancer drugs as evaluated by the photoluminescence (PL) method. For this purpose, a sensitive and straightforward sensor based on the CQDs is developed for selective detection of fluorouracil (5-FU) as an anticancer drug. The fluorescence (FL) quenching method is also investigated and optimized for the CQD-based sensor, resulting in a linear range and limit of detection (LOD) of 0-7.5 & mu;M and 41 nM, respectively. Moreover, the quantum yield (QY) is calculated to be QY = 1.32%, which is a promising result. In addition, good results are achieved by using the sensor in a urine sample. Accordingly, the simply synthesized CQD-based sensor offers a high sensitivity for the measurement of drugs.