Rapid trace analysis of ceftriaxone using new fluorescent carbon dots as a highly sensitive turn-off nanoprobe

Abstract

Abstract Novel highly fluorescent carbon dots (CDs) were synthesized through a green, low-cost, and simple hydrothermal method from the chicken as a carbon source. No surface passivating or chemical reagents were applied in the introduced synthesis method. The obtained CDs exhibited blue fluorescence emission with a high quantum yield (QY) of approximately 32.86% and noticeable water solubility. FT-IR and XPS measurements showed the presence of carbonyl, hydroxyl, and amino groups on the surface of the CDs. It was found that the fluorescence intensity of the CDs was remarkably declined in the presence of ceftriaxone (CTR) by the inner filter effect (IFE) process. Furthermore, the results showed the excellent selectivity of chicken-derived CDs toward CTR with satisfactory detection limit of 4.4\xa0×\xa010−10 M and a linear range from 9\xa0×\xa010−10 M to 1.4\xa0×\xa010−8 M. The reliability of this method was validated by determining CTR in different spiked urine samples. It was concluded that the proposed method was simple, rapid, economical, and selective for the determination of CTR.