A reliable and facile fluorescent sensor from carbon dots for sensing 2,4,6-trinitrophenol based on inner filter effect

Abstract 2,4,6-Trinitrophenol (TNP) has absorbed much concerns because of its toxic effect and threat on the environment, which results from the fact that it is an important and universal reagent widely utilized for manufacturing many products. It is of great necessity to explore facile and efficient methods for monitoring TNP. In present study, carbon dots (CDs), a new carbonaceous nanomaterial with strong fluorescence, was applied to build a novel sensor for highly sensitive and selective detection of TNP. In the sensing procedure, the fluorescence intensity of as-prepared CDs was diminished with the presence of TNP due to inner filter effect (IFE) quenching mechanism. The sensitivity of the fluorescent sensor was very high with limit of detection down to 5.37 ng mL−1. This fluorescent sensor was evaluated and excellent spiked recoveries were gained, which demonstrated that the developed sensor would be a robust tool for environmental applications.