Water dispersible green fluorescent silicon nanoparticles for high sensitive detection of curcumin and cell imaging

In this work, water dispersible green fluorescent silicon nanoparticles (SiNPs) were synthesized by one-pot hydrothermal method using 3-[2-(2-aminoethylamino)ethylamino]propyl-trimethoxysilane (AEEA) as silicon source and amidol as reducing agent. The SiNPs features outstanding photobleaching resistance, salt resistance, water dispersion, and biocompatibility. The fluorescence of SiNPs could be distinctly quenched by curcumin via internal filtration effect (IFE) and electrostatic interaction. Based on this, a high sensitive fluorescent method for curcumin detection was established with a wide linear range of 0.05–50 µM and a limit of detection (LOD) as low as 15.2 nM. The developed method exhibited the advantages of high sensitivity, rapid response, low cost and simplicity. The method has been successfully applied to determine the content of curcumin in the actual samples of capsule health care products and curry powder. Additionally, owing to the negligible cytotoxicity and outstanding biocompatibility, SiNPs could be used for imaging with HeLa cells.