Electrostatic attraction-induced aggregation of polymer dots for the facile detection of melamine migration.

Many polymer dot (Pdot)-based assays involve complicated modifications for target recognition and detection. In this work, the fluorescence quenching of Pdots based on electrostatic attraction-induced aggregation was proposed for the first time. It was demonstrated that the prepared Pdots were negatively charged and electron-rich (e-Pdots), while protonated melamine was positively charged and electron-withdrawing.