Fluorescence Detection for H2PO4- based on Carbon Dots/Fe3+ Composite

A novel fluorescent probe for H2PO4-was designed and fabricated based on the carbon dots/Fe3+ composite. The carbon dots were synthesized by an established one-pot hydrothermal method and characterized by transmission electron microscope, X-ray diffractometer, UV-Vis absorption spectrometer and fluorescence spectrophotometer. The carbon dots/Fe3+ composite was obtained by aqueous mixing of carbon dots and FeCl3, and its fluorescence property was characterized by fluorescence spectrophotometer. The fluorescence of carbon dots was quenched by aqueous Fe3+ cations, resulting in the low fluorescence intensity of the carbon dots/Fe3+ composite. On the other hand, H2PO4-reduced the concentration of Fe3+ by chemical reaction and enhanced the fluorescence of the carbon dots/Fe3+ composite. The Stern-Volmer equation was introduced to describe the relation between the relative fluorescence intensity of the carbon dots/Fe3+ composite and the concentration of H2PO4-, and a fine linearity (R-2= 0.997) was found in the range of H2PO4-concentration of 0.4-12 mM.