Gold nanoclusters-catalyzed rhodamine 6G–K3Fe(CN)6 chemiluminescence and its application

Abstract

An ultra-facile flow injection chemiluminescence (CL) strategy was designed for bisphenol A (BPA) detection. It was based on the inhibition of rhodamine 6G chemiluminescence by BPA on the gold nanoclusters (Au NCs) enhanced rhodamine 6G–K₃Fe(CN)₆ system in an alkaline medium for the first time. Furthermore, BSA-stabilized Au NCs were synthesized via a simple method with desirable reproducibility and stability. Under optimized conditions, the relative CL intensity was found to be proportional to the BPA concentration in the range of 2.0 × 10⁻⁷ to 1.0 × 10⁻⁵ mol L⁻¹, with a detection limit of 7.0 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹ (S/N = 3). The effects of interfering substances on the detection of 1.0 × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹ BPA were analyzed for confirming good selectivity. A brief discussion on the possible CL reaction mechanism was presented through the results of CL spectra, fluorescent spectra, UV-visible spectroscopy and radical scavenger reactions. Finally, this suggested method was used successfully to detect BPA in real samples with acceptable recovery values of 93.0–106.2%.