Strong enhancement of the chemiluminescence of cerium (IV)-Na2S system by mono-dispersed N-CDs generated in situ.

[Display omitted] • A new CL system (Ce (IV)-Na 2 S-N-CDs) was explored. • Mono-dispersed N-CDs generated in situ catalyzed the production of more 1O 2 and acted as the emitting species • The CL of this system arose from three main routes. • A sensitive and convenient platform for H 2 S detection was established. In this study, nitrogen-doped carbon dots (N-CDs) was observed to strongly amplify the chemiluminescence (CL) intensity of Ce (IV)-Na 2 S system with an enhancement factor around 55. Possible mechanism was explored and discussed on account of results of free radical scavenger experiments, CL spectra and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), etc. During the CL process, mono-dispersed N-CDs generated in situ catalyzed the production of more 1O 2 on its surface and the CL enhancement mainly attributed to the chemiluminescence resonance energy transfer (CRET) between (1O 2) 2 */Ce (III)* and N-CDs. The new CL system was then developed as a convenient and sensitive platform for H 2 S detection. The linear range was 20–200 nM and the limit of detection (LOD) was 0.32 nM. The applications in different water samples were proved to have good recovery rate (tap water: 100.46%-109.22%; pool water: 99.91%-102.87%) with satisfactory results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]