Glow-type and red-emissive chemiluminescence sensor for sensitive and visual rifampicin detection

Red-emissive carbon dots (R-CDs) with an appropriate HOMO energy level were synthesized. • A red-emission and glow-type R-CDs-peroxyoxalate CL system with high efficiency was developed. • Visual analysis of rifampin has been developed based on the CL system. • No complicated pre-treatment is required for the detection of RFP in real samples. • Selective detection of RFP in complex samples with good accuracy. Sensitive detection of Rifampin (RFP) is crucial for medication monitoring and food safety. Chemiluminescence (CL) is a significant detection method for RFP. However, most CL systems suffer from short luminescence durations and cannot enable visual detection. In this study, red-emissive carbon dots (R-CDs) with suitable HOMO energy levels and high fluorescent quantum yields were prepared. These R-CDs served as excellent energy acceptors and luminophores in a peroxyoxalate chemiluminescence (POCL) system, achieving a high CL quantum yield up to 4.59 × 10 −3 einsteins mol −1 . Based on the inhibitory effect of RFP on the CL emission of the POCL system, a visible CL sensor was developed for its rapid and sensitive detection. The method achieved a detection limit as low as 0.16 μM and a wide linear range of 0.25–50 μM. A visual analytical platform was further established, extending the measurable range to 0.5–80 μM. The strategy was successfully applied to the accurate determination of RFP in real samples, advancing nanomaterial-based CL sensing for applications in safety and health monitoring. Download: Download high-res image (110KB) Download: Download full-size image