Comparative study for N and S doped carbon dots: Synthesis,characterization and applications for Fe probe and cellular imaging

A facile and eco-friendly approach to prepare nitrogen(N)- and sulfur(S)-doped carbon dots (CDs) by one step microwave-assisted pyrolysis of the precursors with dl-malic acid as carbon source, ethanolamine and ethane-sulfonic acid as N and S dopants, respectively, was reported. Through the extensive investigation on morphology, chemical structures and optical properties of the carbon dots, it was found that the obtained CDs exhibited good luminescence stability, high resistance to photo bleaching and favorite solubility. Compared with undoped CDs, adding the N or S dopant could give rise to a slightly smaller particle size and a long fluorescence lifetime of CDs. Moreover, the optimal N-CDs was successfully employed as good multicolor cell imaging probes due to its fine dispersion in water, excitation-dependent emission, excellent biocompatibility and low toxicity. Besides, such N-CDs showed a wide detection range and excellent accuracy as fluorescent probe for Fe³⁺ ions. This probe enabled the selective detection of Fe³⁺ ions with a linear range of 6.0–200 μM and a limit of detection of 0.80 μM.     

Synthesis of carbon dots with a tunable photoluminescence and their applications for the detection of acetone and hydrogen peroxide

Carbon dots(CDs) with multi-color emissive properties and a high photoluminescent quantum yield(PLQY) have attracted great attention recently due to their potential applications in chemical,environmental,biological and photo-electronic fields.Solvent-dependent effect in photoluminescence provides a facial and effective approach to tune the emission of CDs.In this study,green emissive nitrogen-doped carbon dots(N-CDs) are synthesized from p-hydroquinone and ethylenediamine through a simple hydrothermal method.The as-prepared N-CDs possess a robust excitation-independent green luminescence and a high PLQY of up to 15.9%.Further spectroscopic characterization indicates that the high PLQY is achieved by the balance of nitrogen doping states and the surface passivation extent in CDs.The N-CDs also exhibit solvent-dependent multi-color emissive property and distinct PLQY in different solvents(the maximum can reach up to 25.3%).Furthermore,the as-prepared N-CDs are applied as fluorescence probes to detect acetone and H2O2 in water.This method has exhibited a low detection limit of acetone(less than 0.1 %) and a quick and linear response to the H_2O_2 with the concentration from 0 to 120 μmol/L.This work broadens the knowledge of applying CDs as probes in the bio and chemical sensing fields.     

β-Cyclodextrin derived full-spectrum fluorescent carbon dots: The formation process investigation and biological applications

Carbon dots (CDs), a new building unit, have been revolutionizing the fields of biomedicine, bioimaging, and optoelectronics with their excellent physical, chemical, and biological properties. However, the difficulty of preparing excitation-dependent full-spectrum fluorescent CDs has seriously hindered their further research in fluorescence emission mechanisms and biomedicine. Here, we report full-spectrum fluorescent CDs that exhibit controlled emission changes from purple (380 nm) to red (613 nm) at room temperature by changing the excitation wavelength, and the excitation dependence was closely related to the regulation of sp² and sp³ hybrid carbon structures by β-cyclodextrin-related groups. In addition, by regulating the content of β-cyclodextrin, the optimal quantum yields of full-spectrum fluorescent CDs were 8.97%, 8.35%, 7.90%, 9.69% and 17.4% at the excitation wavelengths of 340, 350, 390, 410 and 540 nm, respectively. Due to their excellent biocompatibility and color tunability, full-spectrum fluorescent CDs emitted bright and steady purple, blue, green, yellow, and red fluorescence in MCF-7 cells. Moreover, we optimized the imaging conditions of CDs and mitochondrial-specific dyes; and realized the mitochondrial-targeted co-localization imaging of purple, blue and green fluorescence. After that, we also explored the effect of full-spectrum fluorescent CDs in vivo fluorescence imaging through the intratumorally, subcutaneously, and caudal vein, and found that full-spectrum fluorescent CDs had good fluorescence imaging ability in vivo.     

硅、氮共掺杂碳点荧光粉的制备及发光性能

采用N-苯基对苯二胺和3-氨基丙基三甲氧基硅烷为原料,通过光化学催化法合成了高荧光强度的硅、氮共掺杂碳点（Si/N-CDs）。通过透射电子显微镜（TEM）、X射线光电子能谱（XPS）、荧光光谱、X射线衍射（XRD）和红外光谱（FT-IR）等对Si/N-CDs进行了表征。制备的 Si/N-CDs形貌呈球形,平均直径约6.45 nm,在365 nm紫外光照射下发明亮的蓝绿色荧光,量子产率可达30.8%,连续30 d测试Si/N-CDs均保持高的荧光强度。用Si/N-CDs替代传统的红/绿/蓝三基色稀土荧光粉中的蓝/绿稀土荧光粉,并与红色荧光粉（Sr,Ca）AlSiN₃∶Eu²⁺复合制备白光二极管（White Light Emitting Diode, WLED）。在60 mA电流下运行WLED,可实现86.9的高显色指数和7.76 lm/W的发光效率,色坐标是（0.3773, 0.3734）,色温为4062 K,并且色点位于黑体普朗克轨迹上,表明制备的WLED可以产生高质量的照明效果。硅、氮共掺杂碳点具有简便的制备方法和优异的光学性质,并能够代替蓝/绿色稀土荧光粉与红光荧光粉复合制备高质量照明的WLED,扩展了碳点在发光器件中的应用。同时,Si/N-CDs兼具低毒性、稳定的光学性质和简单的合成工艺,使其在蓝色和绿色稀土荧光粉的替代中具有潜在的商业应用前景。     

Environmentally friendly cleaner water-soluble fluorescent carbon dots coated with chitosan: synthesis and its application for sensitivity determination of Cr(VI) ions

In the current work, novel environmentally friendly water-soluble fluorescent carbon dots coated with chitosan (CDs/CTS) were successively synthesized via a facile and green preparation procedure. The fluorescent carbon dots were prepared through a simple, convenient and one-step hydrothermal method in the presence of cellulose as a raw material. The CDs/CTS were connected together via intermolecular hydrogen bonds interaction and chemical bonds between hydroxyl and amino groups in the chitosan polymeric chains and hydroxyl groups of fluorescent carbon dots. This approach can be applied for milligram-scale preparation of these water-soluble particles. The CDs/CTS material showed blue fluorescence under UV exposure. The structure and morphology of as-prepared CDs/CTS were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The as-prepared CDs/CTS exhibited excellent fluorescent property and good stability. The fluorescence of as-prepared CDs/CTS could be quenched by the Cr(VI) ions. The effects of environmental factors on the fluorescence intensity were investigated in detail, and the obtained results showed that the optimum conditions for the Cr(VI) ions determination were as follows: 1:3 of mass ratio of CDs/CTS, 9.5 of pH and 20 min of reaction time. Under optimized experimental conditions, a novel fluorescent probe was developed for the detection of Cr(VI) ions, which exhibited wide linear ranges (0–600 μmol/L) and excellent selectivity. The proposed method was directly applied for the determination of Cr(VI) ions in water and soil samples with satisfactory results.     

Photoactivated Fluorescence Enhancement in F,N-Doped Carbon Dots with Piezochromic Behavior

Photoactivation in CdSe/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) on UV/Vis light exposure improves photoluminescence (PL) and photostability. However, it was not observed in fluorescent carbon quantum dots (CDs). Now, photoactivated fluorescence enhancement in fluorine and nitrogen co-doped carbon dots (F,N-doped CDs) is presented. At 1.0 atm, the fluorescence intensity of F,N-doped CDs increases with UV light irradiation (5 s–30 min), accompanied with a blue-shift of the fluorescence emission from 586 nm to 550 nm. F,N-doped CDs exhibit photoactivated fluorescence enhancement when exposed to UV under high pressure (0.1 GPa). F,N-doped CDs show reversible piezochromic behavior while applying increasing pressure (1.0 atm to 9.98 GPa), showing a pressure-triggered aggregation-induced emission in the range 1.0 atm–0.65 GPa. The photoactivated CDs with piezochromic fluorescence enhancement broadens the versatility of CDs from ambient to high-pressure conditions and enhances their anti-photobleaching.     

Photoactivated Fluorescence Enhancement in F,N‐Doped Carbon Dots with Piezochromic Behavior

Photoactivation in CdSe/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) on UV/Vis light exposure improves photoluminescence (PL) and photostability. However, it was not observed in fluorescent carbon quantum dots (CDs). Now, photoactivated fluorescence enhancement in fluorine and nitrogen co‐doped carbon dots (F,N‐doped CDs) is presented. At 1.0 atm, the fluorescence intensity of F,N‐doped CDs increases with UV light irradiation (5 s–30 min), accompanied with a blue‐shift of the fluorescence emission from 586 nm to 550 nm. F,N‐doped CDs exhibit photoactivated fluorescence enhancement when exposed to UV under high pressure (0.1 GPa). F,N‐doped CDs show reversible piezochromic behavior while applying increasing pressure (1.0 atm to 9.98 GPa), showing a pressure‐triggered aggregation‐induced emission in the range 1.0 atm–0.65 GPa. The photoactivated CDs with piezochromic fluorescence enhancement broadens the versatility of CDs from ambient to high‐pressure conditions and enhances their anti‐photobleaching.     

Sensitive pH probe developed with water-soluble fluorescent carbon dots from chocolate by one-step hydrothermal method

In present work, fluorescent carbon dots (CDs) with an average diameter of 2.5 nm were firstly synthesised by a simple, convenient and low-cost hydrothermal method from chocolate. The obtained CDs possessed fine monodispersity and bright blue fluorescence that was strongest at an excitation wavelength of 360 nm and had a comparable quantum yield of 12% (in case of dots prepared in presence of nitric acid). The emission peak depended on the excitation wavelength in the range from 320 to 440 nm. Ionic strength had a weak effect up to 1.0 M and then no significant change was found in the range of 1.0–4.5 M. The fluorescence intensity of CDs displayed good pH adaptability and a linear dependence on the pH change in the range of pH 1.0–3.0 and pH 9.0–12.5, which have promising potentials for pH sensor.     

Red,green and blue aggregation‐induced emissive carbon dots

As one of the most promising fluorescent nanomaterials, carbon dots (CDs) have been extensively studied for their fluorescent properties in solution. However, research on the synthesis of multicolor solid-state fluorescence (SSF) CDs (from blue to red) is rarely reported. Herein, we used o-phenylenediamine, m-phenylenediamine and p-phenylenediamine with dithiosalicylic acid (DTSA) in the solvothermal reaction using acetic acid as a solvent to obtain aggregation-induced emissive (AIE) CDs of red (620 nm), green (520 nm), and blue (478 nm), respectively. XPS spectra and TEM image show that with the red-shift of luminescence, the particle size and content of C=O of the CDs gradually increases. Finally, based on the non-matrix solid-state multicolor luminescence characteristics of CDs, the application of white light LED devices is realized. Besides, based on the fat-soluble properties of CDs, fingerprint detection applications are realized.     

荧光碳点的合成及对酿酒酵母的毒性研究

以葡萄糖为碳源采用溶剂热法合成了荧光碳点。紫外吸收光谱、荧光光谱以及透射电镜照片表明,所合成的荧光碳点发光性能优异,分散性好,且无团聚现象。荧光碳点原溶液出现浓度淬灭现象,稀释60倍情况下荧光最强。以酿酒酵母为模型生物,考察了不同生长时期(调整期、对数期早期、对数期中期)的酿酒酵母与不同浓度的荧光碳点共培养后的生长曲线。结果表明,即使荧光碳点浓度在27.75 mmol.L-1条件下也没有影响酵母菌的生长曲线,可认为基本没有细胞毒性。比较了相同荧光强度下的荧光碳点与CdTe量子点对酿酒酵母的细胞毒性,结果表明荧光碳点的毒性显著低于量子点的毒性。     

Single precursor-based luminescent nitrogen-doped carbon dots and their application for iron (III) sensing

Iron III (Fe³⁺) sensing is of great importance for monitoring its levels in different environmental and biological systems since its levels are tightly associated with many environmental concerns and serious diseases. Compared to the ordinary Fe³⁺ detection methods involving the sophisticated and expensive instruments, the use of fluorescent materials with short response time and low cost attracts much attention. Amongst a variety of fluorescent materials, a nitrogen-doped carbon dot (N-CD) is emerging as promising luminescent materials for biosensing due to their superior photoluminescent properties, good water solubility, and biocompatibility. Herein, N-CD prepared via a green and cost-effective one-pot hydrothermal method using a new single precursor N-(2-hydroxyethyl) ethylenediamine triacetic acid (HEDTA) as both the carbon and nitrogen sources is reported. The blue fluorescent emission of N-CDs is quenched by the addition of Fe³⁺, and the quenching intensity is concentration dependent in the wide range (0.76–400 μM) with a detection limit of 0.16 μM. The quantum yield for the as prepared N-CDs is 14.17%. The N-CDs also show a high selectivity for Fe³⁺ chelation amongst a range of biological metal ions. The fluorescent quenching is attributed to the formation of the coordinate covalent bonds between the Fe³⁺ and N-CDs, and the mechanism is proved to be a static type on the basis of the photoluminescence lifetime and the temperature-dependent fluorescent intensity change. Our eco-friendly and simple strategy will benefit the application of CDs in various fields.     

Synthesis of Fluorescent Carbon Dots and Their Application in Ascorbic Acid Detection

Water-soluble fluorescent carbon dots (CDs) were synthesized by a hydrothermal method using citric acid as the carbon source and ethylenediamine as the nitrogen source. The repeated and scale-up synthetic experiments were carried out to explore the feasibility of macroscopic preparation of CDs. The CDs/Fe³⁺ composite was prepared by the interaction of the CDs solution and Fe³⁺ solution. The optical properties, pH dependence and stability behavior of CDs or the CDs/Fe³⁺ composite were studied by ultraviolet spectroscopy and fluorescence spectroscopy. Following the principles of fluorescence quenching after the addition of Fe³⁺ and then the fluorescence recovery after the addition of asorbic acid, the fluorescence intensity of the carbon dots was measured at λex = 360 nm, λem = 460 nm. The content of ascorbic acid was calculated by quantitative analysis of the changing fluorescence intensity. The CDs/Fe³⁺ composite was applied to the determination of different active molecules, and it was found that the composite had specific recognition of ascorbic acid and showed an excellent linear relationship in 5.0–350.0 μmol·L⁻¹. Moreover, the detection limit was 3.11 μmol·L⁻¹. Satisfactory results were achieved when the method was applied to the ascorbic acid determination in jujube fruit. The fluorescent carbon dots composites prepared in this study may have broad application prospects in a rapid, sensitive and trace determination of ascorbic acid content during food processing.     

氮掺杂荧光碳点用于Co2+的超灵敏检测及细胞成像

首次以金银花和乙二胺为原料,通过水热法合成出性能优异的氮掺杂碳点(N-CDs)。制备的N-CDs具有丰富的官能团、良好的水溶性、低细胞毒性、高的荧光稳定性和良好的生物相容性。在最佳条件下,N-CDs能够高选择性地检出Co²⁺,N-CDs的荧光强度在0.5～3.6 nmol·L^-1范围内被Co²⁺线性猝灭,检出限低至1.38 nmol·L^-1,其猝灭机制属于内滤效应和静态猝灭。该方法也已成功应用于实际样品的精确分析。此外,N-CDs还可用于细胞成像及细胞内Co²⁺传感。     

Fluorine-defects induced solid-state red emission of carbon dots with an excellent thermosensitivity

Up to date, solid-state carbon dots (CDs) with bright red fluorescence have scarcely achieved due to aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ) effect and extremely low quantum yield in deep-red to near infrared region. Here, we report a novel fluorine-defects induced solid-state red fluorescence (λ_em = 676 nm, the absolute fluorescence quantum yields is 4.17%) in fluorine, nitrogen and sulfur co-doped CDs (F,N,S-CDs), which is the first report of such a long wavelength emission of solid-state CDs. As a control, CDs without fluorine-doping (N,S-CDs) show no fluorescence in solid-state, and the fluorescence quantum yield/emission wavelength of N,S-CDs in solution-state are also lower/shorter than that of F,N,S-CDs, which is mainly due to the F-induced defect traps on the surface/edge of F,N,S-CDs. Moreover, the solid-state F,N,S-CDs exhibit an interesting temperature-sensitive behavior in the range of 80–420 K, with the maximum fluorescence intensity at 120 K, unveiling its potential as the temperature-dependent fluorescent sensor and the solid-state light-emitting device adapted to multiple temperatures.     

基于氮掺杂碳点的荧光增强简便、快速而准确地检测环丙沙星

以苹果酸为碳源,磷酸铵提供氮源,采用固态热解法一步合成一种水溶性的、氮掺杂的蓝色荧光碳点(N-CDs)。 所得到的碳点荧光量子产率高达20.7%,形貌近似球形,平均粒径约为3.3 nm。 基于环丙沙星(CIP)对碳点的荧光增强作用,建立了一种CIP的定量检测方法。 最佳实验参数为:碳点浓度为7.5 μg/mL,pH值为5.9,孵化时间为5 min。 在此实验条件下,碳点的荧光强度增加值(ΔF)和CIP的浓度在0.39~40.00 μmol/L范围内呈良好的线性关系,方法的检出限为0.12 μmol/L,相对标准偏差(n=5)为4.2%。 干扰实验结果指出,除了铜离子具有明显的影响外,其它共存物质的干扰可以忽略不计,而铜离子的干扰可通过加入草酸铵来掩蔽。 最后利用所构建的荧光传感器对实际样品中CIP进行检测,回收率在93%~107%之间。 本研究为CIP定量分析提供了一种简单、快速、灵敏度高、选择性好而有效的测定方法。     

Yellow emissive carbon dots in ludox silica matrix with anticancer activity for enhanced imaging of developed sweat latent fingermarks

The recognition of fingermarks plays a vital role during a criminal investigation. In the current scenario, fluorescent nano-powders emerged as a potential candidate for latent fingermark detection. We pioneer the use of microwave technology for the synthesis of carbon dots (CDs) with the cationic surfactant (cetylpyridinium chloride). The surfactant-derived CDs exhibit yellow fluorescence and emission at 545 nm with high quantum yield of (QY～34%). The prepared CDs also demonstrated amphiphilic properties. These luminous CDs were combined with ludox HS-30 to develop fluorescent hybrid nano-powders for the detection of sweat latent fingermarks on a non-porous surface. The ludox@CDs accumulate particle size 11.36 ± 1.235 nm and surface area 111 cm³/g^?1. The fluorescent hybrid nano-powders emerged to be successful in creating high contrast and accurate latent fingermark images. Furthermore, cytotoxicity studies on breast cell lines (fR-2 and MCF-7) were conducted by using ludox@CDs. The results revealed that ludox@CDs were less toxic and biocompatible in comparison to the commercialized dusting reagents. Fortunately, ludox@CDs demonstrated anticancer efficacy against MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines. Thus, our findings herald a new age for fluorescent hybrid nano-powders in criminal investigation and biomedical applications.     

Mass production of highly fluorescent full color carbon dots from the petroleum coke

Heavy oil is treated as an undesirable raw material in traditional refining markets because of its low yield. However, its rich natural aromatic structure and heteroatomic compounds make it possible to be a precursor to large-scale production of carbon materials. Using heavy oil and three SDA products as precursors, we synthesized highly fluorescent multi-color carbon dots (CDs) by hydrothermal method, which can precisely control the photoluminescence wavelength in the range of 350?650 nm. The synthesized carbon dots have the advantages of good long-term stability and stability under extreme pH conditions and low price. Importantly, the carbon dots synthesized with asphalt as the precursor have the highest fluorescence quantum yield. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) is used to elucidate the effects of different precursor on emission color change and photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY), thus providing a controlled tuning of the system for the functionalization of CDs. And we further used the CDs in macrophage labeling. This pathway gives a reliable and repeatable industry possibility and may boost the applications of CDs into reality.     

三种不同元素掺杂的碳点与DNA相互作用及其机制研究

碳点(carbon dots,CDs)在材料学及生物医学相关领域的研究已引起科研人员的广泛关注.本文采用一步水热法,制备了三种具有不同元素掺杂的CDs、N-CDs、N,S-CDs,并结合多种光谱法、熔链温度法和黏度法,系统地研究了三种不同元素掺杂的碳点与ctDNA结合模式以及结合能力的差异.荧光实验证明三种不同性质的碳点CDs、N-CDs、N,S-CDs与ctDNA的相互作用模式为沟槽结合,结合力主要为氢键和范德华力,并伴随着轻微的静电作用力.在强电解质和变性剂的存在下,会减弱碳点与ctDNA之间的沟槽结合.圆二色光谱实验和红外光谱实验反映了碳点与ctDNA的沟槽结合作用并不会明显改变ctDNA的构象.与未掺杂的碳点(CDs)相比,氮硫元素的掺杂可使N,S-CDs与ctDNA的沟槽结合能力减弱,但是加大碳点表面电荷,可增强N-CDs与ctDNA的结合.这一结论为碳点的设计及其在生物医学领域中的应用提供了理论参考.     

由蚕砂制备的碳量子点在不同激发、pH、金属离子、温度及极性环境下的荧光性质研究

碳量子点作为一种新兴的荧光纳米材料,具有粒径分布均匀、光稳定性好、激发-发射波长可调控、表面可修饰等优良的性质,兼具低毒性、生物相容性好等优点,在分析检测和生物成像等领域展现出广阔的应用前景。而蚕砂是家蚕的干燥粪便,简单易得。利用蚕砂作为碳量子点制备原料,采用微波合成的方法制备得到了一种平均水合粒径为4.86 nm,含氮、硫修饰的碳量子点材料,可作为针对激发波长、pH、金属离子浓度、温度及溶剂极性的变化有着显著响应特性的碳量子点型荧光探针。该探针的荧光最大发射波长随激发波长或pH的增加而红移;荧光强度随温度或pH的降低而增加;随着金属离子,特别是铜离子的加入而逐渐降低,并随着EDTA络离子的加入而逐渐回复。在多种溶剂中该探针均具有较好的溶解度,当换用不同极性的溶剂时,随着溶剂极性的增加荧光发射波长逐渐红移。荧光性质随多重环境参数变化为该碳量子点在未来的生物检测和成像领域提供了广阔的应用前景。     

Eco friendly synthesis of fluorescent carbon dots for the sensitive detection of ferric ions and cell imaging

This study established a ferric ion (Fe³⁺) detection method as a result of the fluorescence quenching effect of Fe³⁺ on carbon dots (CDs). Specifically, we proposed, a green microwave synthesis route towards fluorescent CDs that requires only the brewer’s spent grain as starting materials. Transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectra and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were performed to investigate the CDs characteristic: morphology, size distribution, functional groups, and composition, respectively. The experimental results, which were run under optimal experimental conditions, indicated that the fluorescence intensity and concentration of Fe³⁺ were within the desired linear range (0.3–7 μM). The detection limit of this assay towards Fe³⁺ was 95 nM. The proposed method showed significant selectivity with respect to interfering ions. We evaluated the potential application of this method with tap water, lake water and fetal bovine serum as real samples. Additionally, the CDs could be served as superior bioimaging probes in Hela cells as a result of their excellent optical stability and good biocompatibility. In a word, the present study provides a new idea for CDs derived from the waste of agricultural products for detecting food or environmental contaminants and cell imaging.