Preparation of PQDs@ZIF-67 for detection of TC and PO43−

Abstract

As a novel class of fluorescent materials, perovskite quantum dots (PQDs) have been applied for fluorescence detection due to their excellent optical properties. However, the strong ionicity of perovskite quantum dots makes them easily decomposed in polar solutions, which seriously hinders the further development of their sensing field. In this work, CsPbBr₃ PQDs with an average particle size of 7.89 nm were prepared by thermal injection, and PQDs@ZIF-67 composites were constructed using a metal–organic-framework (MOF) encapsulation strategy. The water stability and alkali tolerance of PQDs@ZIF-67 were significantly improved by introducing ZIF-67. The detection of TC and PO₄³⁻ was achieved in the water environment. The detection ranges of the two were 0–800 nM and 0–50 µM respectively, and the detection limits were 14.38 nM and 1.413 µM respectively. The PQDs@ZIF-67 sensors exhibited excellent selectivity and anti-interference ability towards both analytes and were successfully applied in real water samples.