title: L-cysteine-capped CdTe QD-based sensor for simple and selective detection of trinitrotoluene.
abstract: Trinitrotoluene, usually known as TNT, is a kind of chemical explosive with hazardous and toxic effects on the environment and human health. National and societal security concerns have dictated an increasing need for the analytical detection of TNT with rapidity, high sensitivity and low cost. This work demonstrates a novel method using L-cysteine-capped CdTe quantum dots (QDs) to assay TNT, based on the formation of a Meisenheimer complex between TNT and cysteine. The fluorescence (FL) of quantum dots quench because electrons of the QDs transfer to the TNT molecules via the formation of a Meisenheimer complex. TNT can be detected with a low detection limit of 1.1 nM. Studies on the selectivity of this method show that only TNT can generate an intense signal response. The synthesized QDs are excellent nanomaterials for TNT detection. In addition, TNT in soil samples is also analyzed by the proposed method.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, Department of Chemistry, Hunan University, Changsha, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yufang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Zhang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Yejuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Hailan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Pengtao
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sheng
authors.forename: Chengbin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Shenglian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Qingyun
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Cai
mesh_terms: D019187:Cadmium Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D003545:Cysteine / Q000737:chemistry*; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D008956:Models, Chemical; D045663:Quantum Dots; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D013691:Tellurium / Q000737:chemistry*; D014303:Trinitrotoluene / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D019187:Cadmium Compounds; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D014303:Trinitrotoluene; D003545:Cysteine; D013691:Tellurium; C028337:cadmium telluride