We synthesised a polyacrylamide (PAA) hydrogel filled with fluorescent carbon quantum dots (CQDs) for environmental sensing application. The obtained PAA@CQDs composite was characterised using scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, time correlated single photon counting and UV-visible spectroscopy. In the PAA@CQDs composite, CQDs were shown to retain their high PL properties. Being immersed into FeCl3 solutions, PAA@CQDs samples demonstrated intensive PL quenching because of Fe3+ ions absorption. The limit of the Fe3+ ions detection was determined to be 0.124 μM. We showed the formation of non-PL complex between CQDs and Fe3+ ions, ensuring static mechanism of the PAA@CQDs PL quenching.
Borodina, AnastasiaKostromin, SergeiPankin, DmitriiPovolotskiy, AlexeyUshakova, ElenaBronnikov, Sergei
Anastasia BorodinaSergei KostrominDmitrii PankinAlexey V. PovolotskiyElena V. UshakovaSergei Bronnikov
Juan DuWenli ZhuXiaohong SheQiyu YuQiaoling YangHuiping HuangChi‐Hui TsouDe Guzman Manuel
Ratan W. JadhavPritesh KhobrekarSandesh T. BugdeSheshanath V. Bhosale
Jingying ZhaoXinxin JiHuan XingGuang Yang