A novel fluorescence nanosensor based on 1,8-naphthalimide-thiophene doped silica nanoparticles, and its application to the determination of methamphetamine

In this paper, the synthesis of a selective fluorescence "turn-on" nanosensor for methamphetamine (MA) based on a new 1,8-naphthalimide-thiophene derivative (NTS) and its immobilization on the surface of the nano-silica particles (NTS@SiO2) is described. The sensory ability of NTS and NTS@SiO2 toward MA is studied in solution and solid state. NTS displays significant fluorescence enhancement of (7.3-fold) in the presence of MA and much more intensified after being attached to nanosilica particles (15.39-fold) due to nanostructure effect. NTS@SiO2 showed high sensitivity to MA vapor in solid state as well as in solution. The emission of NTS@SiO2 in the film state exhibited a fast and reversible response to MA vapor with a linear correlation in the range of 6.7 mu mol L-1 to 0.27 mmol L-1. The analytical applicability of the present nanosensor has been studied by parallel technique of high-performance liquid chromatography. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.