Protein as the source for synthesizing fluorescent carbon dots by a one-pot hydrothermal route

Fluorescent carbon dots (C-dots) are prepared directly via a simple hydrothermal method using bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a carbon source in the presence of surface passivation reagents. The obtained C-dots have low cytotoxicity and good biocompatibility, demonstrating that their features are good for application in cell imaging.