A novel phosphorus oxide quantum dots as an emissive nanomaterial for inorganic ions screening and bioimaging

In this work, a novel blue-green fluorescence phosphorous oxide quantum dots (PO QDs) was synthesized by solvothermal method in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone (NMP) solution without any protection treatment during synthesis. Upon excitation at 400 nm, PO QDs emitted blue-green fluorescence with quantum yield of 0.28. PO QDs exhibited the high inertness to air or moisture, the excellent water solubility, and stable emission intensity in a wide pH range and in high ionic strength solution. Interestingly, PO QDs could give the positive optical response to iron ions (Fe3+) and iodine ion (I). The photoluminescence (PL) of PO QDs could be directly quenched by Fe3+. While I quenched the PO QDs PL by means of Agtmediated PO QDs system via the internal filtration effects (IFE) induced by the formation of Ag+. Moreover, the biocompatibility and low toxicity of PO QDs verified in bean sprout and Hela cells indicated the promising application of PO QDs in medicine related fields. Furthermore, PO QDs could also be utilized in luminescent composite film for various application scenarios (C) 2021 Chinese Chemical Society and Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.