A facile synthesis of hybrid silicon quantum dots and fluorescent detection of bovine hemoglobin

Abstract

Silicon quantum dots (SiQDs) feature unique optical properties and biological compatibility. The effective synthesis and surface modification of SiQDs in an aqueous solution can enrich the variety and applications. A new type of hybrid SiQDs was designed and fabricated by using two kinds of silicon precursors. (3-Aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTES), N-trimethylsilylimidazole (TSIM) and L-ascorbic acid were treated via an hydrothermal method. Two silicon precursors were used for the synthesis of SiQDs, which enabled the functioning of SiQDs and avoided its further modification. The hybrid SiQDs are endowed with amino and imidazole groups, higher nitrogen content, fluorescence intensity, and longer fluorescence lifetime. They were applied in the fluorescence detection of bovine hemoglobin with the linear range of 10 nM–10 μM and the detection limit of 12 nM.