FRET-based fluorometry assay for curcumin detecting using PVP-templated Cu NCs

A novel fluorometric strategy is proposed for detecting curcumin by polyvinyl pyrrolidone-templated Cu NCs (PVP–Cu NCs) as a fluorescent probe which exhibits excitation/emission peaks at 380/510 nm. The fluorescent excitation and emission spectra of PVP-Cu NCs have a striking overlap with the UV–vis spectrum of curcumin, and the fluorescence lifetime of PVP-Cu NCs decreases after the addition of curcumin. Curcumin leads to fluorescence quenching based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer . This method allows for the determination of curcumin in the range of 0.1–10 μg mL −1 and the detection limit is 21 ng mL −1 . Furthermore, this method displays good selectivity and is successfully applied for real sample analysis.