Highly selective and sensitive fluorescence detection of tetracyclines based on novel tungsten oxide quantum dots

Tetracyclines (TCs) residues in animal products have attracted extensive concern due to their potential toxic to human health. Accordingly, it is urgent to develop an efficient method to determine TCs for providing consumers with risk pre-warning. Herein, a novel tungsten oxide quantum dots (W x O y QDs) fluorescence probe for tetracycline (TET) detection was constructed through ethanol-thermal method, which exhibited intense blue fluorescence under 365 nm UV light. Interestingly, blue-emitting W x O y QDs could be quenched obviously after the addition of TET, which may be attributed to the synergism of inner filter effect (IFE), fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) and photo-induced electron transfer (PET). Thereby, the fluorescence method was established for TET detection based on W x O y QDs. Additionally, the presented method was demonstrated by monitoring TET in milk and milk powder with satisfactory recoveries. More importantly, this work offered good demonstration for the detection of food hazard factors.