Construction of stable and multifunctional tellurium nanoparticles using chitosan and carbon quantum dots as functional templates.

Herein, chitosan (CS) and carbon quantum dots (CQDs) were chosen to be functional templates to synthesize tellurium nanoparticles (TeNPs) with high stability, antioxidant, and photoluminescence properties. The synergistic interaction between CS and CQDs not only ensured the stable dispersion of TeNPs, achieving a monodisperse state with precisely controlled particle sizes of 2.7 ± 0.5 nm and a stable zeta potential of 39.07 mV, but also demonstrated high stability under various environmental factors, including pH, salt ion concentrations, and temperature. Furthermore, this synergistic effect significantly enhanced the antioxidant efficacy of TeNPs, effectively scavenging DPPH, ABTS, and hydroxyl radicals. Concurrently, it endowed TeNPs with intense and stable photoluminescence properties, making them ideal for fluorescent probes, particularly exhibiting exceptional potential in the fluorescence detection of Hg ions. The results of this study fully demonstrated the significant importance of CS and CQDs in enhancing performance and broadening functionality in the synthesis of nanomaterials.