Study on the fluorescence resonance energy transfer between CdTe QDs and butyl-rhodamine B in the presence of CTMAB and its application on the detection of Hg(II)

The thioglycolic acid-functionalized CdTe quantum dots (QDs) were synthesized in aqueous solution using safe and low-cost inorganic salts as precursors. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) system was constructed between CdTe QDs (donor) and butyl-rhodamine B (BRB) (acceptor) in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTMAB). CTMAB micelles formed in water reduced the distance between the donor and the acceptor significantly and thus improved the FRET efficiency, which resulted in an obvious fluorescence enhancement of the acceptor. Several factors which impacted the fluorescence spectra of the FRET system were studied. The energy transfer efficiency (E) and the distance (r) between CdTe and BRB were obtained. The feasibility of the prepared FRET system as fluorescence probe for detecting Hg(II) in aqueous solution was demonstrated. At pH 6.60, a linear relationship could be established between the quenched fluorescence intensity of BRB and the concentration of Hg(II) in the range of 0.0625–2.5 μmol L−1. The limit of detection was 20.3 nmol L−1. The developed method was proved to be sensitive and repeatable to detect Hg(II) in a wide range in aqueous solutions.