Carbon quantum dots originated from chitin nanofibers as a fluorescent chemoprobe for drug sensing

This paper reports the synthesis of carbon quantum dots (CQDs) from chitin nanofibers (CNFs) as a new carbon source via microwave assisted-hydrothermal route within three minutes. The FL of as-prepared CQDs can be quenched after addition of Cu2+ ions. However, in the presence of D-Penicillamine (DPA), Cu2+ ions prefer to bind to DPA owing to their high affinity toward DPA and subsequently the FL of CQDs is effectively recovered. Therefore, here for the first time the Cu2+ ion modified CQDs (CQDs-Cu2+.) was utilized as a FL chemoprobe for quantitative determination of DPA in biological and pharmaceutical samples with satisfactory results. (C) 2017 The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.