Novel fluorescent nanoplatform for all-in-one sensing and removal of acrolein: An ultrasensitive probe to evaluate its removal efficiency.

As a highly toxic aldehyde, acrolein is widely found in diet and environment, and can be produced endogenously, posing a serious threat to human health. Herein, we designed a novel fluorescent nanoplatform integrating carbon dots‑manganese dioxide (CDs-MnO) and glutathione (GSH) for all-in-one sensing and removal of acrolein. By converting Mn to free Mn, GSH inhibited the inner filter effect (IFE) of MnO nanosheets, and the Michael addition of acrolein with GSH inhibited the GSH-induced Mn conversion, forming an "off-on-off" fluorescence response of CDs. The developed fluorescent nanoplatform exhibited high sensitivity (LOD was 0.067 μM) and selectivity for the simultaneous detection and removal of acrolein. The combination of CDs-MnO hydrogels with smartphones realized the point-of-care detection of acrolein, yielding satisfactory results (recovery rates varied between 97.01-104.65%, and RSD ranged from 1.42 to 4.16%). Moreover, the capability of the nanoplatform was investigated for on-site evaluating acrolein scavengers' efficacy, demonstrating excellent potential for practical application.