Incorporating doped carbon nanodots and metal ions as an excellent artificial peroxidase for H2O2 detection

Abstract

Novel nitrogen-doped carbon nanodots (NCdots) were successfully synthesized by a hydrothermal method using 1-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-3-ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC) as a carbon–nitrogen source. The NCdots were characterized by methods including TEM, EDX, SAED, XPS, and UV-vis. The NCdots were found to possess intrinsic chromogenic activity, which could be used as an excellent artificial peroxidase to oxidize H₂O₂ catalytically by metal ions to produce a chromogenic reaction. The reason for the chromogenic mechanism might be attributed to the structural alteration of NCdots by free radical scavenging similar to Fenton's reagent in the presence of H₂O₂. This offers a simple and selective colorimetric method for the determination of some metal ions in environmental systems.