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Preparation of highly luminescent and biocompatible carbon dots using a new extraction method

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Abstract

C dots (CDs) are among the most promising emerging fluorescent labels for biological imaging and sensing. A facile new synthesis method was developed using common organic solvents for fabricating CDs from candle soot. The common organic solvents were used as extractants and the obtained CDs have a narrow size distribution with average diameters of about 3.4 nm for ethylene glycol, 3.5 nm for ethanol, and 3.4 nm for n-butanol. This approach is simpler, easier, and more effective than other methods currently used for CD fabrication. The obtained CDs had a high quantum yield (38 %), tunable emission and are water-soluble. The mechanism for the luminescence of the CDs was investigated and the results indicate that the ability of the solvent to disperse the CDs plays a very important role in the photoluminescence of these CDs. The type of organic solvent and the surface groups on the CDs also influenced the optical properties of the CDs. Different emissive traps are shown to play the major role in the luminescence of the carbon materials. An in vitro hemolysis assay was performed and showed that the CDs are biocompatible.

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the support for this work from the Key Project of Tianjin Sci-Tech Support Program by Tianjin Science and Technology Commission (No. 08ZCKFSH01400).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, People’s Republic of China

    Rui Zhang, Ying-Bo Liu & Shu-Qing Sun

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  1. Rui Zhang
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  2. Ying-Bo Liu
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  3. Shu-Qing Sun
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Correspondence to Shu-Qing Sun.

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Zhang, R., Liu, YB. & Sun, SQ. Preparation of highly luminescent and biocompatible carbon dots using a new extraction method. J Nanopart Res 15, 2010 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-013-2010-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11051-013-2010-x

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