Synthesis and Study of Colloidal Nanocrystals Based on Ternary Chalcogenides for Active Media of Heavy Metal Ions Sensors

A sensing fluorescent probe based on the photoluminescence (PL) quenching of the AgInS2 colloidal nanocrystals (NCs) with a wide bandgap ZnS shell was studied for nickel ions detection. Nanocrystals were synthesized in aqueous solution using mercaptopropionic acid as surfactant. Decreasing of PL intensity of the NCs AgInS2/ZnS in the presence of nickel ions was accompanied by a blueshift of maxima of PL spectra. The shift ranged from 635 to 603 nm with an increase in the concentration of nickel ions from 0 to 4×10-3 mol/L. The quenching effect was described by the Stern-Volmer relationship. The obtained results could be useful for the development of new express-methods for heavy metal detection in aqueous media.