FRET-based fluorometry assay for curcumin detecting using PVP-templated Cu NCs

A novel fluorometric strategy is proposed for detecting curcumin by polyvinyl pyrrolidone-templated Cu NCs (PVP–Cu NCs) as a fluorescent probe which exhibits excitation/emission peaks at 380/510 nm. The fluorescent excitation and emission spectra of PVP-Cu NCs have a striking overlap with the UV–vis spectrum of curcumin, and the fluorescence lifetime of PVP-Cu NCs decreases after the addition of curcumin. Curcumin leads to fluorescence quenching based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer. This method allows for the determination of curcumin in the range of 0.1–10 μg mL−1 and the detection limit is 21 ng mL−1. Furthermore, this method displays good selectivity and is successfully applied for real sample analysis.