Microwave-assisted synthesis of nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots for dual fluorescence detection of Fe³⁺ ions and oxytetracycline
摘要
This study introduces a rapid synthesis method for nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots (N-CQDs) using microwave irradiation, with citric acid and urea serving as the carbon and nitrogen sources, respectively. The material was characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, and fluorescence spectroscopy, revealing a uniform structure, nanoscale size (4–10 nm), and excellent optical properties. N-CQDs were used as fluorescent sensors to detect Fe³⁺ ions and oxytetracycline (OTC) with high sensitivity and selectivity. The results demonstrated limits of detection (LOD) of 1.685 µM and 0.638 µM for Fe³⁺ and OTC, respectively, within linear ranges of 1–32 µM and 0.2–100 µM, respectively. The fluorescence quenching mechanism for Fe³⁺ was attributed to static quenching, whereas OTC enhanced the fluorescence via hydrogen bonding and π–π interactions. The analytical performance of the N-CQDs surpassed that of many previously reported methods, highlighting their potential for environmental sensing and antibiotic residue monitoring.