Facile synthesis of multifunctional carbon dots with 54.4% orange emission for label-free detection of morin and endogenous/exogenous hypochlorite

Carbon dots with long-wavelength emission (orange to red), high quantum yield (QY) and good biocompatibility are of great significance for biomedical applications, but achieving this is still a highly challenging task. In this work, multifunctional carbon dots with 54.4% orange emission (O-CDs) were prepared through one-pot solvothermal treatment of nileblueasulphate and citric acid as precursor for label-free recognition of morin and endogenous/exogenous hypochlorite (ClO-) and bioimaging in cellular and zebrafish. Morin can quench the luminescence of O-CDs by static quenching (SQ). The linear range is 5-125 mu M and LOD is 0.84 mu M. ClO- reduce the photoluminescence intensity of O-CDs via SQ. The linear range is 2.5-90 mu M and LOD was 0.46 mu M. In addition, The obtained O-CDs have successfully realized the monitoring of morin and endogenous/exogenous ClO- in living cells and zebrafish owing to its superior biocompatibility, exceptional photostability and lower toxicity. This work opens up a novel opportunity for the development of long-wavelength emission multifunctional nanomaterial with high quantum yield based on CDs for biosensing, biolabeling and biomedical optical imaging.

Automated summary

This study demonstrates the preparation of multifunctional carbon dots with orange emission for bioimaging and monitoring of morin and hypochlorite in living cells and zebrafish, showing low toxicity and superior biocompatibility.