N-doped carbon dots sensor for selective detection of hydroxylamine hydrochloride

The preparation of N-doped carbon dots (N-CDs) was facile and efficient by the hydrothermal method, using diethylenetriamine (DETA) and citric acid (CA) as nitrogen source and carbon source, respectively. The fluorescence of N-CDs was effectively quenched by Fe³⁺. Upon addition of hydroxylamine hydrochloride (HH) to N-CDs/Fe³⁺ complex dispersion, the fluorescence of N-CDs was significantly recovered. Therefore, we developed an “off-on” fluorescence assay for the detection of HH using N-CDs/Fe³⁺ as a fluorescence probe. The fluorescence intensity showed linearity with the added HH concentration ranging from 0 to 100 μM with the detection limit of 0.246 μM (S/N = 3). The proposed N-CDs sensing showed high selectivity and sensitivity to detection HH in aqueous solution.