Fluorescent Polyurea-Carbon Dots: Preparation, Characterization and Use as Sensor for Doxycycline Detection

Xiao-Xia Zhou; Yi-Ting Yin; Xiao-Yi Zhang; Shu-Sheng Li; Xu-Bao Jiang; Xiao-Li Zhu; Xiang-Zheng Kong

doi:10.1007/s10118-025-3395-6

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Fluorescent Polyurea-Carbon Dots: Preparation, Characterization and Use as Sensor for Doxycycline Detection

RESEARCH ARTICLE | Updated：2025-09-26

- Fluorescent Polyurea-Carbon Dots: Preparation, Characterization and Use as Sensor for Doxycycline Detection
- Chinese Journal of Polymer Science Vol. 43, Issue 10, Pages: 1792-1803(2025)
- Affiliations：
  
  a.College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Jinan, Jinan 250022, China
  b.College of Chemical Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
- Author bio：
  
  chm_liss@ujn.edu.cn (S.S.L.)
  chm_zhuxl@ujn.edu.cn (X.L.Z.)
- Funds：
- DOI：10.1007/s10118-025-3395-6
  CLC：
- Received：19 March 2025，
  
  Revised：2025-05-20，
  
  Accepted：09 June 2025，
  
  Online First：30 July 2025，
  
  Published：05 October 2025
- Accepted：
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Zhou, X. X.; Yin, Y. T.; Zhang, X. Y.; Li, S. S.; Jiang, X. B.; Zhu, X. L.; Kong, X. Z. Fluorescent polyurea-carbon dots: preparation, characterization and use as sensor for doxycycline detection. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2025, 43, 1792–1803

Xiao-Xia Zhou, Yi-Ting Yin, Xiao-Yi Zhang, et al. Fluorescent Polyurea-Carbon Dots: Preparation, Characterization and Use as Sensor for Doxycycline Detection[J]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2025, 43(10): 1792-1803.
Zhou, X. X.; Yin, Y. T.; Zhang, X. Y.; Li, S. S.; Jiang, X. B.; Zhu, X. L.; Kong, X. Z. Fluorescent polyurea-carbon dots: preparation, characterization and use as sensor for doxycycline detection. Chinese J. Polym. Sci. 2025, 43, 1792–1803 DOI： 10.1007/s10118-025-3395-6.

Xiao-Xia Zhou, Yi-Ting Yin, Xiao-Yi Zhang, et al. Fluorescent Polyurea-Carbon Dots: Preparation, Characterization and Use as Sensor for Doxycycline Detection[J]. Chinese Journal of Polymer Science, 2025, 43(10): 1792-1803. DOI： 10.1007/s10118-025-3395-6.

摘要

Fluorescent polyurea-carbon

dots (PU-CD) were synthesized via co-pyrolysis of polyurea and carbon dots

showing enhanced fluorescence from crosslink-enhanced emission. As a probe

PU-CD detected doxycycline with a 2.9×10

–7

mol/L detection limit

offering a simple

green

and cost-effective method for analytical chemistry and food safety applications.

Abstract

Fluorescent polyurea-carbon dots (PU-CD) were s

uccessfully achieved through a co-pyrolysis technique

combining polyurea (PU) with carboxyl-containing carbon dots (PCD) at a temperature of 220 ºC. The PU was fabricated

via

a simple precipitation polymerization process using toluene diisocyanate in a water/acetone binary solvent system. PCD was generated by thermal treatment of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) at the same elevated temperature. To elucidate the structural characteristics of PU-CD

as well as its precursor components PU and PCD

a comprehensive suite of analytical techniques was employed

including transmission electron microscopy (TEM)

Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR)

nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)

dynamic light scattering (DLS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). These analyses confirmed the formation of amide bonds resulting from the reaction between the terminal amines of PU and the carboxyl groups of PCD. An in-depth comparison of the fluorescence properties of PU-CD revealed marked enhancements in fluorescence intensity when contrasted with PU

PEG

and the individual PCD. The research explored the impact of various factors such as concentration

pH in aqueous solutions

and solvent type on the fluorescence emission of these materials

providing valuable insights into their emission mechanisms. It was particularly noteworthy that both PCD and PU-CD exhibited a confined-domain crosslink-enhanced emission effect. Utilizing the aqueous dispersion of PU-CD as a fluorescent probe

the detection of doxycycline (DOX)

a long-acting

broad-spectrum

semi-synthetic tetracycline antibiotic

was achieved with a detection limit of 2.9×10

–7

mol/L. This study introduces a simple

green

and cost-effective fluorescent probe for the detection of DOX

which has significant potential for application in the realms of analytical chemistry and food safety monitoring in the future.

关键词

Keywords

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