One-step synthesis of S,B co-doped carbon dots and their application for selective and sensitive fluorescence detection of diethylstilbestrol

Herein, we report a fast and selective technique for the determination of diethylstilbestrol in milk sample using fluorescent sulfur and boron co-doped carbon dots (S,B co-doped CDs). The S,B co-doped CDs were synthesized by hydrothermal synthesis using poly(sodium-p-styrenesulfonate) and borax as precursors. The as-prepared S,B co-doped CDs possess good stability and fluorescence characteristics and exhibit a fluorescence quantum yield of 25.7%. The fluorescence intensity of the S,B co-doped CDs decreased in the presence of diethylstilbestrol, and a good linear relationship existed between the fluorescence quenching and different concentrations of diethylstilbestrol in the range of 0.1–200 μM with a detection limit of 0.06 μM. Finally, the S,B co-doped CDs were successfully applied in the detection of diethylstilbestrol in milk samples, yielding recoveries between 90.4% and 109.2%.