With cellulose as the precursor and ethylenediamine as the N source, N-doped graphene quantum dots (N-GQDs) were synthesized by a simple and feasible one-pot hydrothermal method. The whole process did noSchemet need a strong acid or strong base and avoided interference from inorganic salt residues. The whole process lasted only 3 h and avoided any complex postprocessing. Because of the outstanding optical properties of N-GQDs, a high-efficiency 6-mercaptopurine fluorescent probe based on the inner filter effect of fluorescence was established. The detection range was 0.2-60 μM and the detection limit was 0.05 μM. This method can preliminarily detect 6-mercaptopurine in human urine and avoids any sample preparation or extraction in advance and brings satisfactory results.
Keywords: 6-mercaptopurine; N-doped graphene quantum dots; cellulose; inner filter effect of fluorescence.