H(2) O(2) - and pH-sensitive CdTe quantum dots as fluorescence probes for the detection of glucose.

A novel fluorescence assay system for glucose was developed with thioglycollic acid (TGA)-capped CdTe quantum dots (QDs) as probes. The luminescence quantum yield of the TGA-capped CdTe QDs was highly sensitive to H2 O2 and pH. In the presence of glucose oxidase, glucose is oxidized to yield, gluconic acid and H2 O2 . H2 O2 and H(+) (dissociated from gluconic acid) intensively quenched the fluorescence of QDs. The experimental results showed that the quenched fluorescence was proportional to the glucose concentration within the range of 0.01-5.0 mm under optimized experimental conditions. Compared with most of the existing methods, this newly developed system possesses many advantages, including simplicity, low cost, high flexibility, and good sensitivity. Furthermore, no complicated chemical modification of QDs and enzyme immobilization was needed in this system.