Preparation of boron nitrogen co-doped carbon quantum dots for rapid detection of Cr(VI)

A novel fluorescent probe based on the static quenching and the inner filter effect between boron nitrogen co-doped carbon quantum dots (B, N-CDs) and Cr(VI) was developed for the quantitative determination of Cr(VI) in real water samples. B, N-CDs were prepared using the hydrothermal method with ammonium citrate and bis(pinacolato) diboron as raw materials. Compared with undoped CDs, the fluorescence properties of the B, N-CDs were improved. The fluorescence quantum yield of the B, N-CDs was as high as 59.01%. After optimization of the experimental parameters, the B, N-CDs could be used as a fluorescence probe to detect Cr(VI). Strong linear correlation (R2 = 0.9986) was established in the Cr(VI) concentration range 0.3–500 μM, and a detection limit of 0.24 μM was achieved. Moreover, the B, N-CDs successfully detected Cr(VI) in real water samples, indicating that they have broad application prospects in the sensitive detection of Cr(VI).