Designing a sensor based on carbon quantum dots for the detection of iron ions

The Accurate detection of iron ions is of paramount importance for both environmental protection and human health. To this end, this work focused on the use of Carbon dots (CDs) obtained by hydrothermal method from grapefruit peel. These CDs were used as a sensor for detecting iron ions. Under Ultra-Violet (UV) irradiation, these CDs exhibited intense blue fluorescence. In addition, the results of pH optimization during the detection of iron ions revealed that the CDs can allow simultaneously detection of Fe2+ and Fe3+ ions at pH between 2 and 5 with detection limits of 32.631 µg/L and 36.751 µg/ L at pH 4, and selectively Fe3+ ions at pH 1 with a limit of 38.072 µg/L by bimodal colorimetric and UV-Vis spectroscopy detection. It should also be noted that these results were due to result in color changes in natural light and in a more pronounced quenching of fluorescence in the presence of ferric ions.