The electron-transfer based interaction between transition metal ions and photoluminescent graphene quantum dots (GQDs): A platform for metal ion sensing

The electron-transfer based quenching effect of commonly encountered transition metal ions on the photoluminescence of grapheme quantum dots (GQDs) was for the first time investigated, and was found to be associated with electron configuration of the individual metal ion. Ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA), the metal ion chelator, can competitively interact with metal ions to recover the quenched photoluminescence of GQDs. Basically, metal ions with empty or completely filled d orbits could not quench the photoluminescence of GQDs, but this quenching effect was observed for the metal ions with partly filled d orbits. Based on the quenching-recovering strategy, a simple optical metal sensing platform was established by taking Ni2+ as an example. Using the nickel ion-specific chelating reagent, dimethylglyoxime (DMG), to replace EDTA, a detection limit of 4.1 μM was obtained in standard solution. This proposed strategy does not need further functionalization of GQDs, facilitating the application for simple, fast and cost-effective screening of metal ions.