A novel ratiometric nanoprobe based on copper nanoclusters and graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets using Ce(III) as crosslinking agent and aggregation-induced effect initiator for sensitive detection of hydrogen peroxide and glucose.

Herein, glutathione-capped copper nanoclusters (CuNCs) and graphitic carbon nitride nanosheets (g-CN NSs) were synthesized by a facile one-pot chemical reduction and directly thermal pyrolysis following ultrasonic exfoliation approaches, respectively. The introduction of Ce(III) (Ce) played dual functions in constructing a fluorescence-enhanced ratiometric nanoprobe (g-CN NSs-Ce-CuNCs), i.e., triggering aggregation-induced emission of CuNCs and conjugating g-CN NSs with CuNCs by virtue of electrostatic and coordination interactions. The as-fabricated nanohybrid displayed 460 and 625 nm dual-emitting peaks, attributing to the emission of g-CN NSs and CuNCs, respectively. Upon addition of HO, the 625 nm emission was dramatically quenched, whereas the 460 nm emission remained nearly unchanged, thereby causing obvious color changes from purple to blue under a 365-nm UV lamp. A ratiometric fluorescent assay, based on g-CN NSs-Ce-CuNCs, was devised for sensitive and visual detection of HO, which spanned the linear range of 2-100 μM with a detection limit of 0.6 μM. In the presence of glucose oxidase, the ratiometric nanoprobe could be simultaneously employed to detect glucose across the linear range of 1.6-320 μM with a detection limit of 0.48 μM. In milk and human serum samples, the fortified recoveries for HO and glucose by the nanoprobe were in the range of 95.5-103.6% with RSDs <3.8%. The real detection levels for glucose are consistent with those by a standard glucometer. As such, the ratiometric nanoprobe offers a promising methodology for several practical applications, such as point-of-care diagnosis and workplace health evaluations.