A novel rapid and green synthesis of highly luminescent carbon dots with good biocompatibility for cell imaging

A novel simple and green method was developed to synthesize highly luminescent carbon dots using ascorbic acid as a carbon source in aqueous solution. The as-prepared C-dots showed down-conversion and upconversion fluorescence properties. They were applied to imaging of human breast cancer cells and normal human mammary cells, showing low cytotoxicity and good biocompatibility.