Surface-modified CdSe quantum dots as luminescent probes for cyanide determination

Luminescent surface-modified CdSe semiconductor quantum dots (QDs), with nanoparticle (NP) size distribution in the order of 2-7 nm, have been synthesized for optical determination of cyanide ions. The nanoparticles have been functionalised with tert-butyl-N-(2-mercaptoethyl)-carbamate (BMC) groups and exhibit a strong fluorescent emission at about 580 nm with rather long fluorescence lifetimes (several hundred nanoseconds) in aerated methanolic solution. The observed luminescence emitted by the synthesized nanocrystals was tremendously increased by photo-activation under sunlight exposure. The functionalised QDs turned out to exhibit excellent long-term stability when stored in the dark (no significant changes in QDs luminescence emission intensity was observed even after two months from synthesis). The functionalisation of the NPs with carbamate ligand allowed a highly sensitive determination of free cyanide via analyte-induced changes in the photoluminescence (fluorescence quenching of intensity at 580 nm and lifetime changes) of the modified quantum dots (excited at 400 nm). A detection limit of 1.1 × 10⁻⁷ M (2.9 μg l⁻¹) of cyanide ions was obtained, while the interfering effect of other inorganic anions (including NO₃⁻, Cl⁻ or SCN⁻) was negligible even at 200-fold level concentrations in excess of cyanide.