Issue 3, 2016

Supramolecular recognition control of polyethylene glycol modified N-doped graphene quantum dots: tunable selectivity for alkali and alkaline-earth metal ions

Abstract

The graphene quantum dot based fluorescent probe community needs unambiguous evidence about the control on the ion selectivity. In this paper, polyethylene glycol modified N-doped graphene quantum dots (PN-GQDs) were synthesized by alkylation reaction between graphene quantum dots and organic halides. We demonstrate the tunable selectivity and sensitivity by controlling the supramolecular recognition through the length and the end group size of the polyether chain on PN-GQDs. The relationship formulae between the selectivity/detection limit and polyether chains are experimentally deduced. The polyether chain length determines the interaction between the PN-GQDs and ions with different ratios of charge to radius, which in turn leads to a good selectivity control. Meanwhile the detection limit shows an exponential growth with the size of end groups of the polyether chain. The PN-GQDs can be used as ultrasensitive and selective fluorescent probes for Li+, Na+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+ and Sr2+, respectively.

Graphical abstract: Supramolecular recognition control of polyethylene glycol modified N-doped graphene quantum dots: tunable selectivity for alkali and alkaline-earth metal ions

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
02 Nov 2015
Accepted
17 Dec 2015
First published
18 Dec 2015

Analyst, 2016,141, 1052-1059

Author version available

Supramolecular recognition control of polyethylene glycol modified N-doped graphene quantum dots: tunable selectivity for alkali and alkaline-earth metal ions

S. Yang, J. Sun, C. Zhu, P. He, Z. Peng and G. Ding, Analyst, 2016, 141, 1052 DOI: 10.1039/C5AN02270C

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