“On/off/on” hydrogen-peroxide sensor with hemoglobin-functionalized carbon dots

October 11, 2018

Title

“On/off/on” hydrogen-peroxide sensor with hemoglobin-functionalized carbon dots

Author

Susanta Kumar Bhunia, Susmita Dolai, Hongchen Sun, Raz Jelinek

Year

2018

Journal

Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical

Abstract

We demonstrate a new scheme for hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) detection through a distinctive fluorescence “on/off/on” mechanism. Specifically, we show that the fluorescence emission of carbon dots (C-dots) prepared from L-penicillamine (LPA) as the carbon precursor underwent initial quenching upon addition of hemoglobin (“off” state) but could be completely recovered upon addition of H2O2 (fluorescence “on”). The “on/off/on” phenomenon was observed only in case of C-dots prepared from penicillamine, underscoring a unique radical-scavenging mechanism by thiol residues upon the C-dots' surface. This study illustrates a novel C-dot fluorescence tuning through heme oxidation and demonstrates a useful sensing modality for oxidative targets.

Instrument

J-715

Keywords

Circular dichroism, Secondary structure, Ligand binding, Chemical stability, Sensors, Biochemstry, Materials