Facile Synthesis of Magnetic Fluorescence Fe3O4-Carbon Dots for Detection and Removal of Hg2+

This article reported a one-pot hydrothermal strategy for preparing fluorescence carbon dots with magnetic properties (Fe3O4-CDs). The Ammonium Ferric Citrate (AFC) and urea served as iron and nitrogen source and both as carbon sources were put into reaction solvent diethylenetriamine (DETA), which was acted as reductant and nitrogen provider in the process of synthesis of Fe3O4-CDs. Further, a sensitive and rapid method based on the Fe3O4-CDs was utilized for detection of Hg2+, simultaneously accompanied with the magnetic removal process. A good linearity was obtained in range from 2.0 to 200.0 nM with a detection limit of 12.6 nM. The fluorescence quenching mechanism was proved to be caused by inner-filter effect (IFE) and static quenching effect (SQE). More, this platform was successfully applied in analysis of Hg2+ in real sample with satisfying recovery result providing a convenient monitoring strategy.