A smart fluorescent colorimetric dual-response sensing for the determination of tetracycline antibiotics

This work synthesized the ethylenediamine-doped puffer fish skin carbon dots using biomass as a green precursor. Three tetracycline antibiotics (TCs) were detected fluorescence and colorimetrically using carbon dots as probes; on this basis, hydrogels were used to carry out visual identification and quantification. In the presence of TCs, the nitrogen-doped carbon dots (N-CDs) displayed a quenching impact on fluorescence because of fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), dynamic quenching, and band gap transition. As a result, it was possible to identify the precise concentrations of tetracycline (TC), oxytetracycline (OTC), and chlortetracycline (CTC). The assay has great biocompatibility, which was supported by cytotoxicity, a wide linear range (0.5–500 M), a low detection limit (0.15 M), and outstanding selectivity. With a high recovery rate, the approach has been successfully used to identify TCs in food and water samples such milk, honey, and tap water.