We report the solvothermal synthesis of MoS2 based quantum dots (QDs) and the performance evaluation of bare QDs for the detection of aqueous As (III) oxidative state at room temperature and neutral pH over a vast range (0.1−1000 ppb). Concentration-dependent photoluminescence (PL) of the QDs enhances up to 50 ppb and then suppresses till 1000 ppb. It shows two distinctive slopes for enhancement and suppression. The enhancement is possibly due to the passivation of trap states or defects. The formation of tiny glassy As2S3 particles on the QD surface may be the possible reason for suppression. The pattern of optical absorption of QDs follows the similar patterns of PL. Still, it shows an enhanced absorbance in the near UV range below ≤300 nm, which increases with As (III) concentration up to 50 ppb and then decreases following the PL pattern. The MoS2 QDs were characterized by using transmission electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, UV−Vis, and PL spectroscopy. The enhancement and suppression results were excellently fitted with the modified Stern−Volmer equation. The detection of arsenic is possible using these linear fit equations as calibration curves.

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Here, we report functionalized graphene quantum dots (GQDs) for the optical detection of arsenic at room temperature. GQDs with the fluorescence of three fundamental colors (red, green, and blue) were synthesized and functionally capped with L-cysteine (L-cys) to impart selectively towards As (III) by exploiting the affinity of L-cys towards arsenite. The optical characterization of GQDs was carried out using UV–vis absorption spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and fluorescence spectrometry, and the structural characterizations were performed using transmission electron microscopy. The fluorescence results showed instantaneous quenching in intensity when the GQDs came in contact with As (III) for all test concentrations over a range from 0.025 to 25 ppb, which covers the permissible limit of arsenic in drinking water. The experimental results suggested excellent sensitivity and selectivity towards As (III).