Enhanced chemiluminescence of the luminol-K3Fe(CN)6 system by ZnSe quantum dots and its application

In this study, water-soluble ZnSe quantum-dots (QDs) capped with Glutathione(GSH) was synthesized. It was found that ZnSe QDs could enhance the chemiluminescence (CL) emission from the luminol-K3Fe(CN)6 system in alkaline medium, and the enhancement mechanism of ZnSe QDs on luminol CL was discussed. What's more, we found that the CL from luminol-K3Fe(CN)6–ZnSe QDs system is strongly inhibited by the presence of phenols. Based on this inhibition, a novel CL method with a lower detection limit and wider linear range was developed for the determination of three kinds of phenols. ► GSH capped ZnSe QDs was synthesized to enhance the CL of luminol-K3Fe(CN)6 system. ► Possible enhancement mechanism of ZnSe QDs on luminol-K3Fe(CN)6 CL was investigated. ► A novel CL method was developed for the determination of three kinds of phenols.