Fast synthesis of fluorescent SiO2@CdTe nanoparticles with reusability in detection of H2O2.

In this study, highly fluorescent core/shell SiO2@CdTe nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized conveniently and efficiently via a hydrothermal method. The as-prepared SiO2@CdTe NPs were uniform with good fluorescence preservation. The SiO2@CdTe NPs could be used for the rapid detection of H2O2 with good sensitivity within several minutes. Excellent linear relationships existed between the quenching degrees of the SiO2@CdTe NPs and the concentration of H2O2 in the range of 0.005 mM to 0.1 mM. The limit of detection (LOD) for H2O2 was 10 nM. Furthermore, it was proved that SiO2@CdTe NPs could be used repeatedly for H2O2 detection due to their easy separation, which is an important feature. The excellent performance of SiO2@CdTe NPs should facilitate their applications in chemistry or biology for detection of H2O2.