Simple hydrothermal approach for synthesis of fluorescent molybdenum disulfide quantum dots: Sensing of Cr ion and cellular imaging.

Nowadays, fluorescent molybdenum disulfide quantum dots (MoS QDs) have proven to be potential candidates in the sensing and bioimaging areas owing to their exceptional intrinsic characteristics. Here, a simple hydrothermal strategy was explored for the preparation of MoS QDs using ammonium heptamolybdate and 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) as precursors. The emission peak of MoS QDs was significantly quenched in the presence Cr ion due to the selective surface chemistry on the surfaces of MoS QDs. The designed fluorescent MoS QDs showed a linear fluorescence quenching response with increasing concentration of Cr ion (0.1-10 μM), allowing to detect Cr ion even at 0.08 μM. This fluorescent MoS QDs were utilized for the quantification of Cr ion in real samples (water and biological samples). Interestingly, the synthesized MoS QDs exhibited negligible cytotoxicity on NRK cells and acted as good candidates for imaging of Trichoderma viride fungal cells.