title: Facile synthesis of boron- and nitride-doped MoS2 nanosheets as fluorescent probes for the ultrafast, sensitive, and label-free detection of Hg(2+).
abstract: Bulk MoS2, a prototypical transition metal chalcogenide material, is an indirect band gap semiconductor with negligible photoluminescence. In this study, we have developed, for the first time, a simple and low-cost synthetic strategy to prepare boron- and nitrogen-doped MoS2 (B,N-MoS2) nanosheets. Through boron and nitrogen doping, the band gap of MoS2 increases from 1.20 eV to 1.61 eV, and the obtained B,N-MoS2 nanosheets exhibit an enhanced fluorescence. The B,N-MoS2 nanosheets can be used as a green and facile sensing platform for label-free detection of Hg(2+) because of their high sensitivity and selectivity toward Hg(2+). In addition, detection can be easily accomplished through one-step rapid (within 2 min) operation, with a limit as low as 1 nM. This study demonstrates that the introduction of boron and nitrogen elements into ultrathin MoS2 nanosheets for enhanced fluorescence properties is feasible through a facile and general preparation strategy and may also offer a unique idea as a potential way to design more efficient MoS2-based sensors and fluorescent materials.
authors.affiliation: College of Chemical Engineering, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan 411105, Hunan Province, China. fengbo@xtu.edu.cn fengbo5460@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Xiaojia
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Liping
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yuanjie
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Yizhi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Qian
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Feng