Synthesis of graphene quantum dots inside a nanoreactor for fluorescence detection of dopamine

A label-free fluorescence sensor for selective detection of dopamine (DA) was developed by using graphene quantum dots (GQDs) as fluorescence probes. The GQDs were prepared via a top-down acid vapor oxidation strategy, in which a hollow carbon @ mesoporous silica nanosphere (h-C@mesoSiO2) serves as nanoreactor and only 1 mL of HNO3 was used as scissors for quickly cleaving the thin carbon layer in the nanospace of h-C@mesoSiO2. The method not only effectively avoids a tedious separation process but also endows GQDs with uniform size and good dispersion. And the as-prepared GQDs display good linear fluorescence response to DA in the range of 0.24-5.86 mM with a low detection limit of 12.7 nM. The proposed sensor shows high selectivity and satisfying recovery for DA detection in human urine. The good specificity toward DA may be due to a) the carboxyl groups on the surface of GQDs can interact with the amine functional groups in DA through electrostatic interactions and b) this specificity is further enhanced by the pi-pi interaction between GQDs and DA. Importantly, the work not only provides an avenue for the controllable synthesis of GQDs, but also expands the application of GQDs prepared by top-down method to DA sensor.