Analytical Sciences

Poly(thymine)-templated Fluorescent Copper Nanoparticles for Ultrasensitive Label-free Detection of Pb²⁺ Ion

LiJuan OU,*,** XiaoYan LI,** HongWei LIU,* LiJuan LI,** and Xia CHU**

* College of Material and Chemical Engineering, Hunan Institute of Technology, Hengyang 421002, P. R. China
** State Key Laboratory for Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha 410082, P. R. China

Polythymine (poly T)-templated copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) were demonstrated as novel and sensitive fluorescence probes for the detection of Pb²⁺ based on the fluorescence quenching effect. The as-prepared CuNPs displayed strong fluorescence emission. However, the fluorescence of CuNPs was readily quenched in the presence of Pb²⁺. These changes in fluorescence intensity of CuNPs allowed for the analysis of Pb²⁺ with rapidity (<10 min), simplicity (label-free), high sensitivity (LOD 0.4 nM), high selectivity (no interference from other metal ions) and at low-cost (without any labels and sophisticated operation). We validated the practicality of using CuNPs for the determination of Pb²⁺ in environmental samples through analyses of tap water samples.

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