Facile Synthesis of Ionic Liquid Derived Fluorescent Carbon Dots for Sensitive and Selective Detection of Fe(III) Ion in Aqueous Media

Recently, increasing levels of Fe3+ in environmental water has become great potential threats for human health. Excess Fe3+ concentration as well as deficiency of the ion has adverse effects in our body system, which demand the development of selective, sensitive and inexpensive sensing probe for Fe3+ detection. This study focused on synthesis of a new photoluminescent carbon dots (CDs) via simple and straightforward hydrothermal method by using an imidazolium based ionic liquid, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate as starting material. The as-prepared nanoparticles were characterized through different spectroscopic and microscopic tools. The CDs exhibit a good fluorescence quantum yield (14.7%) and unique emission behavior. The fluorescence of CDs can be effectively and selectively quenched by ferric ions in aqueous media. Thus, these CDs can be applied as a probe towards selective and sensitive detection of Fe3+ in aqueous media exhibiting a limit of detection of 0.09 mu M. The CDs possesses a fluorescence lifetime of 5.62 ns.