Rapid Preparation of Fluorescent Carbon Dots from Pine Needles for Chemical Analysis

Fluorescent carbon dots with blue, green, and red emissions were rapidly prepared from modified pine needles through microwave irradiation in a one-pot reaction. The fluorescence intensity and emission versatility for a carbon source were experimentally optimized. The reaction times were under 10 min and the reaction temperatures were lower than 220 degrees C. Potential applications of magnetic fluorescence-linked immunoassays of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) were presented. The detection limits for CEA and TNF-alpha (3.1 and 2.8 pg mL(-1), respectively) are lower than those presented in other reports, whereas the linear ranges for CEA and TNF-alpha (9 pg mL(-1) to 18 ng mL(-1) and 8.5 pg mL(-1) to 17 ng mL(-1), respectively) are wider than those presented in other reports. Magnetic immunoassays with fluorescent CDs prepared from pine needles can enable rapid, sensitive, and selective detections for biochemical analysis.

Automated summary

Fluorescent carbon dots with blue, green, and red emissions were prepared from modified pine needles using microwave irradiation. The fluorescence intensity and emission versatility were optimized experimentally. The prepared magnetic fluorescence-linked immunoassays showed potential applications in rapid, sensitive, and selective detections for biochemical analysis.