Smartphone-based portable device for rapid and sensitive pH detection by fluorescent carbon dots

ZnCl2 Enabled Synthesis of Highly Crystalline and Emissive Carbon Dots with Exceptional Capability to Generate O2⋅–

Fluorescent carbon dots have the advantages of good chemical stability, low toxicity, and surface functionalization, which has caused concern. In recent years, polymer carbon dots synthesize by polymer polysaccharides have become a new research hotspot. In this paper, a chitosan-based fluorescent polymer carbon dot material is synthesized by hydrothermal method and used for drug-loading research. We choose chitosan-graft-polyethylene glycol monomethyl ether and citric acid derivatives as the carbon sources for the carbon dots, because chitosan and polyethylene glycol are both a carbon source for carbon dots and a passivation reagent for carbon dots. Then the quantum yield of the polymeric carbon dots is increased. Polymer carbon dots can also retain the molecular structure of polyethylene glycol and chitosan, providing favorable conditions for its application in drug loading. The structural characterization is performed on P(CS-g-mPEG-CA)CDs by IR, UV, X-ray diffraction, photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy and photoluminescence spectra and pH stability test is carried out. The results show that the synthesized P(CS-g-mPEG-CA)CDs has higher fluorescence quantum yield(66.81%), longer fluorescence lifetime(15.247 ns), and better pH stability. Using Doxorubicin as a model drug, a load study was conducted using this polymer carbon dot. The results show that if the degree of substitution of mPEG is 11.9%, the maximum loading rate of polymer carbon dots is 51.3% and the maximum drug release rate is 28.7%. In addition, we also found that drug loading and release could be controlled by the grafting rate of mPEG. In addition, the cytotoxicity of polymer carbon dots on nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells(CNE-2) is evaluated using an MTT assay. The study shows that there is no obvious cytotoxicity of blank P(CS-g-mPEG-CA)CDs, and that the survival rate of CNE-2 cells decreases with the increase of drug-loaded micelles. The results show that the P(CS-g-mPEG-CA)CDs have a certain application prospect in the aspects of fluorescence labeling, drug delivery, fluorescent tracer system and controlled release.

These days, carbon dots (CDs) are the rising stars of nanomaterials. Carbon dots (CDs) are small carbon nanoparticles with the same type of surface passivation (less than 10 nm in size). Researchers found C-dots by accident while purifying single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) manufactured using the arc-discharge process. Toxic metal-based quantum dots are being replaced with carbon dots (QDs). Carbon dots are currently being prepared from a variety of natural resources in order to obtain self-passivated products at a reasonable cost. Because of their superior photo physical characteristics, biocompatibility, and low toxicity, carbon dots have prospective applications in bio sensing, bio imaging, and drug administration. Different synthetic processes, precursors, salient properties, and applications were reviewed in this review, as well as some future prospects, obstacles, and possible solutions for future development. Because of their tunable optical characteristics and better biocompatibility, luminous carbon-based nanomaterials have sparked a lot of scientific interest. Different light emission properties of carbon are discussed in this review. Distinct synthesis procedures have resulted in different carbon dots (CDs). Summarized here. The optical properties of CDs that haven't been synthesized yet surface doping and element doping can be used to further control it. CDs are being functionalized for an adjustable band gap. As a result of their luminescent with reduced cytotoxicity and tunable optical characteristics CDs have been thoroughly investigated in terms of their potential uses in biomedicine, such as analytical sensors, and instruments for bioimaging. Fluorescent carbon dots are a new type of nanomaterial from the carbon family. Green CDs, which have attracted a lot of attention from researchers because of their better water solubility, high biocompatibility, and eco-friendly nature when compared to chemically generated CDs, can be made from a variety of inexpensive and renewable resources. The presence of heteroatoms on the surface of green CDs in the form of amine, hydroxyl, carboxyl, or thiol functional groups, which can improve their physicochemical qualities, quantum yield, and likelihood of visible light absorption, eliminates the need for additional surface passivation.

Carbon dots (CDs) have outstanding optical properties, biocompatibility, and photostability, making them attractive for imaging applications. A facile and green one-step hydrothermal synthesis method is proposed, which can be safely used in a wide range of applications such as chemical sensing, bioimaging, and optoelectronics. In this study, we report green synthesis of carbon dots from bitter orange juice (Citrus Aurantium) by hydrothermal treatment for the first time. We studied effects of time, temperature, and pH on fluorescence of CDs, characterized them using various spectroscopic and microscopic methods, and evaluated their toxicity to different cell lines. Identifying an optimum reaction condition of 180 ºC for 7 h heating gave CDs that showed pH-dependent fluorescence, with the largest fluorescence at a pH of 7.0. The CDs were 1-2 nm in size with a spherical morphology and negative surface charge. The CDs showed a high quantum yield of 19.9 %, reasonable photostability, excellent water solubility, and long fluorescence lifetime. A one step hydrothermal rout led to various hydrophilic functional groups on the surface of the CDs. Our results showed that the CDs were non-toxic over a large concentration range and effective for imaging of cells, indicating their potential as imaging probes in medical diagnostics and biosensor applications.

Rapid trace analysis of ceftriaxone using new fluorescent carbon dots as a highly sensitive turn-off nanoprobe

Mercury ions (Hg2+) seriously harm the central nervous system of humans, leading to brain damage and even heart failure and death. Therefore, effective detection of Hg2+ in water quality has become an urgent research field. It is very important to develop economically efficient fluorescent sensors to achieve rapid and sensitive detection of Hg2+. Therefore, the high fluorescence quantum yield fluorescent carbon dots (CDs) with amide group were prepared. The process of preparing CDs was regulated by multiple key factors (carbon source, proportion, time), and the CDs with the best fluorescence performance were selected. It was comprehensively characterized, including fluorescence performance, surface structure, phase, and morphological characteristics. The amide group endows CDs with the ability to act as both donors and acceptors for hydrogen bonding, forming complexes with metal ions, thus making them suitable for the detection of Hg2+. It is worth noting that CDs can quickly detect Hg2+ within 1 min, and there is a good linear relationship within the ranges of 0.001-200 μM and 200-500 μM. The detection limit of UC-CDs is 8.2 nM. This study provides a fluorescent sensor with fast reaction, excellent sensitivity, and selectivity for the efficient detection of Hg2+ in water.

Orange-red, green, and blue fluorescence carbon dots for white light emitting diodes

Developing highly fluorescent biogenic carbon dots (CDs) as molecular probes and cellular imaging agents with excellent cellular biocompatibility and water dispersibility can advance the scope of CDs in various biomedical applications. The present work aims to produce CDs from biological precursors such as natural amino acids. Due to their molecular recognition properties, the resultant CDs exhibit biocompatibility, polar functional groups, and selective molecule sensing. Microwave (MW)-assisted carbonization of L-tryptophan, L-glutamic acid, and their mixture led to the formation of CDs. However, the CDs derived from the mix of amino acids exhibited strong emission at 450 nm, with a quantum yield of 31.3%, and showed excellent stability under wide pH conditions. These CDs have a crystalline graphitic core, predominantly derived from the carbonization of the aromatic moiety intrinsic to L-tryptophan amino acid, while the partial carbonization of L-glutamic acid led to anchor polar functional groups on the CDs surface. These CDs were established as molecular probes for sensing the biomolecule cysteamine with enhanced sensitivity and remarkable cross-selectivity among the interfering metal ions, anions, and other thiols. To demonstrate these materials' cellular biocompatibility, the cell viability of MCF-7 and fibroblast cells was studied following their exposure to CDs. The studies revealed that the fluorescent CDs did not elicit cytotoxic effects on the cells at elevated concentrations. The CDs from the mixture of amino acids were efficiently internalized by MCF-7 cells, enabling efficient imaging of live cells. Overall, this study developed biogenic and cellular biocompatible CDs with robust luminescent properties and demonstrated their applications in biomolecular sensing, cellular uptake, and imaging.

To prepare fluorescent carbon dots for loading cationic anticancer drug through donor-quenched nanosurface energy transfer in visible sensing of drug release. Highly fluorescent carbon dots (CDs) were prepared by a facile hydrothermal approach from citric acid and o-phenylenediamine. The obtained CDs showed a high quantum yield of 46 % and exhibited good cytocompatibility even at 1 mg/ml. The cationic anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX) can be loaded onto the negatively charged CDs through electrostatic interactions. Additionally, the fluorescent CDs feature reversible donor-quenched mode nanosurface energy transfer. When loading the energy receptor DOX, the donor CDs' fluorescence was switched "off", while it turned "on" again after DOX release from the surface through endocytic uptake. Most DOX molecules were released from the CDs after 6 h incubation and entered cell nuclear region after 8 h, suggesting the drug delivery system may have potential for visible sensing in drug release.

Carbon dots (CDs), including carbon quantum dots, graphene quantum dots, carbon nanodots, and polymer dots, have gained significant attention due to their unique structural and fluorescence characteristics. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the classification, structural characteristics, and fluorescence properties of CDs, followed by an exploration of various fluorescence sensing mechanisms and their applications in gene detection, nucleolus imaging, and gene delivery. Furthermore, the functionalization of CDs with diverse surface ligand molecules, including dye molecules, nucleic acid probes, and metal derivatives, for sensitive nucleic acid detection is systematically examined. Fluorescence imaging of the cell nucleolus plays a vital role in examining intracellular processes and the dynamics of subcellular structures. By analyzing the mechanism of fluorescence and structure-function relationships inherent in CDs, the nucleolus targeting abilities of CDs in various cell lines have been discussed. Additionally, challenges such as the insufficient organelle specificity of CDs and the inconsistent mechanisms underlying nucleolus targeting have also been highlighted. The unique physical and chemical properties of CDs, particularly their strong affinity toward deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), have spurred interest in gene delivery applications. The use of nuclear-targeting peptides, polymers, and ligands in conjunction with CDs for improved gene delivery applications have been systematically reviewed. Through a comprehensive analysis, the review aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of the potential and challenges associated with CDs in biomedical applications.

Nanosized fluorescent carbon particles, namely, carbon dots (CDs), are a kind of fluorescent material that has drawn increasing attention in recent years. CDs have size-, surface chemistry-, and wavelength-dependent luminescence emission, which is different from traditional semiconductor-based quantum dots. Moreover, with excellent chemical stability, good biocompatibility, low toxicity, up-conversion emission, resistance to photo bleaching, as well as easy chemical modifications, CDs are promising for substantial applications in numerous areas: bioimaging, sensors, and energy-related devices. Herein, three kinds of fluorescent dots are reviewed: graphene quantum dots (GQDs), carbon nanodots (CNDs) and polymer dots (PDs). After the first reported CDs prepared from electrophoretic analysis and purification of fluorescent carbon nanotube fragments, there were hundreds of publications focusing on fluorescent CDs. Bioimaging was one of the most common applications of the CDs; therefore, in this review, most of the chosen reference papers were related to bioimaging based on CDs.

X-ray absorption spectroscopy examination of Cr, Co, and Cu binding on fluorescent carbon dots

Ferrocenylseleno-dopamine functionalized carbon dots for redox-gated imaging and drug delivery in cancer cells

Zwitterionic nanogels crosslinked by fluorescent carbon dots for targeted drug delivery and simultaneous bioimaging

Uric acid biosensors based on molecular recognition: Classifications, advances, and prospects