Detecting CdSe Nanomaterials with a Fluorescent Schiff Base Ligand
Jesús Sanmartín-Matalobos,
Pilar Bermejo-Barrera,
Ignacio Pérez-Juste,
Matilde Fondo,
Ana M. García-Deibe,
Yeneva Alves-Iglesias
Affiliations
Jesús Sanmartín-Matalobos
Coordination and Supramolecular Chemistry Group (SupraMetal), Department of Inorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Institute of Materials (iMATUS), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Avenida das Ciencias s/n, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Pilar Bermejo-Barrera
Trace Element, Speciation and Spectroscopy Group (GETEE), Department of Analytical Chemistry, Nutrition and Bromatology, Faculty of Chemistry, Institute of Materials (iMATUS), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Avenida das Ciencias s/n, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Ignacio Pérez-Juste
Departamento de Quıímica Física, Facultad de Química, Edificio de Ciencias Experimentales, Universidade de Vigo, 36310 Vigo, Spain
Matilde Fondo
Coordination and Supramolecular Chemistry Group (SupraMetal), Department of Inorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Institute of Materials (iMATUS), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Avenida das Ciencias s/n, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Ana M. García-Deibe
Coordination and Supramolecular Chemistry Group (SupraMetal), Department of Inorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Institute of Materials (iMATUS), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Avenida das Ciencias s/n, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Yeneva Alves-Iglesias
Coordination and Supramolecular Chemistry Group (SupraMetal), Department of Inorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry, Institute of Materials (iMATUS), Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Avenida das Ciencias s/n, 15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
We investigated the easily synthesized ligand H3L as a fluorescent chemosensor for the detection of CdSe nanoparticles (CdSe NPs) and L-cysteine-capped CdSe quantum dots (CdSe-Cys QDs) in ethanol–water samples. A drastic quenching of the fluorescence emission of H3L at 510 nm occurred, as a result of the addition of CdSe NPs and CdSe-Cys QDs. A solution of H3L (1.26 ppb) showed sensitive responses to both CdSe NPs and CdSe-Cys QDs, with limits of detection (LOD) as low as 40 and 62 ppb, respectively. Moreover, using a smartphone color recognizer application, the fluorescence intensity response of H3L-modified cellulose paper to CdSe-Cys QDs was recorded on a red channel (R), which allowed us to detect CdSe-Cys QDs with LOD = 15 ppb. Interference of some common metal nanomaterials (NMs), as well as metal ions, in the determination of CdSe NMs in solution was studied. The affinity of H3L to CdSe NPs and CdSe-Cys QDs was spectroscopically determined. Scanning electron microscopy/energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDX), micro-X-ray fluorescence (µ-XRF), 1H-NMR, attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy (ATR-IR), and density functional theory (DFT) were also used to investigate the interaction of H3L with CdSe NMs.
