Novel dual-emission sulfur quantum dot sensing platform for quantitative monitoring of pesticide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid

In this work, a novel environment-friendly dual-emission Rhodamine B modified sulfur quantum dots (RhB-SQDs) sensing platform was established to economically monitor organochlorine pesticide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) through regulating the activity of alkaline phosphatase (ALP). This dual emission RhB-SQDs exhibited excellent fluorescence and high photostability with emission wavelengths of 455 nm and 580 nm. ALP catalyzed the hydrolysis of the substrate p-nitrophenyl phosphate to p-nitrophenol, which quenched RhB-SQDs fluorescence at 455 nm due to the internal filtration effect, but had no effect the fluorescence intensity of RhB-SQDs at 580 nm. When 2,4-D was present, the activity of ALP was specifically inhibited and enzymatic reaction was interrupted, leading to the reduction of p-nitrophenol production, so the fluorescence of RhB-SQDs at 455 nm was restored. It demonstrated a good linear relationship between the concentration of 2,4-D and F455/F580 in the range of 0.050–0.500 μg mL−1, with a detection limit of 17.3 ng mL−1. The dual-emission fluorescent probe was successfully realized in the identification of 2,4-D in natural water samples and vegetables with the advantages of exceptional accuracy, immunity to interference, and selectivity. The platform offers a fresh look at pesticide monitoring and has the potential to prevent pesticide-related health issues.