Sulfhydryl-functionalized carbon dots as effective probes for fluorescence enhancement detection of patulin

In this study, sulfydryl-functionalized nitrogen-doped carbon dots (SH-NCDs) was synthesized by amide reaction of hydrothermally synthesized carbon dots with l -cysteine and used to detect patulin selectively. The SH-NCDs exhibited excitation wavelength-independent fluorescence in the range 300–360 nm. The modified sulfhydryl group (-SH) on the surface of NCDs served as a specific recognition site to capture patulin. The addition reaction between patulin and the -SH on the SH-NCDs surface resulted in enhanced fluorescence. SH-NCDs was used as a fluorescent probe for label-free detection of patulin, showing excellent sensitivity in the linear range of 0.1–400 ng mL −1 , with detection limits as low as 0.053 ng mL −1 . The fluorescent probe has specific selectivity for patulin. The recoveries of patulin in apple juice and grape juice were 88.9 %–99.2 % and 92.5 %–101.8 %, respectively. These results showed that the sensor designed in this experiment selectively detected the target patulin from complex food systems.