Solid-state chemiluminescence assay for ultrasensitive detection of antimony using on-vial immobilization of CdSe quantum dots combined with liquid-liquid-liquid microextraction.

On-vial immobilized CdSe quantum dots (QDs) are applied for the first time as chemiluminescent probes for the detection of trace metal ions. Among 17 metal ions tested, inhibition of the chemiluminescence when CdSe QDs are oxidized by H2O2 was observed for Sb, Se and Cu. Liquid-liquid-liquid microextraction was implemented in order to improve the selectivity and sensitivity of the chemiluminescent assay. Factors influencing both the CdSe QDs/H2O2 chemiluminescent system and microextraction process were optimized for ultrasensitive detection of Sb(III) and total Sb. In order to investigate the mechanism by which Sb ions inhibit the chemiluminescence of the CdSe QDs/H2O2 system, atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV-vis absorption and fluorescence measurements were performed. The selection of the appropriate CdSe QDs capping ligand was found to be a critical issue. Immobilization of QDs caused the chemiluminescence signal to be enhanced by a factor of 100 as compared to experiments carried out with QDs dispersed in the bulk aqueous phase. Under optimized conditions, the detection limit was 6 ng L(-1) Sb and the repeatability expressed as relative standard deviation (N=7) was about 1.3%. An enrichment factor of 95 was achieved within only 3 min of microextraction. Several water samples including drinking, spring, and river waters were analyzed. The proposed method was validated against CRM NWTM-27.2 fortified lake water, and a recovery study was performed with different types of water samples. Sb recoveries ranged from 94 to 105%. A fast, miniaturized and relatively inexpensive assay for selective and sensitive detection of Sb(III) and total Sb in waters is accomplished.