Chemically tailoring graphene oxides into fluorescent nanosheets for Fe3+ ion detection

A method is presented to tailor the lateral size of graphene oxide (GO) in the range of 10–100 nm and simultaneously tailor its edge structure by oxidation with periodic acid in a one-pot process. The obtained GO nanosheets are photoluminescent and exhibit lateral size-dependent behavior. The emission wavelength could be tuned from 550 to 470 nm by decreasing the lateral size. The fluorescence of GO nanosheets shows a sensitive and selective quenching effect to Fe3+ ions, allowing it to be used as a fluorescent probe to detect Fe3+ ions with a detection limit of 1 ppm.