Issue 44, 2016

Green preparation of carbon dots for intracellular pH sensing and multicolor live cell imaging

Abstract

Carbon dots are prepared using a green hydrothermal approach with dehydrated shiitake mushroom as the sole carbon source without any additives (these carbon dots are shortly termed as MCDs). Carbonization, surface functionalization and nitrogen doping are involved in the hydrothermal treatment and no further modification or surface passivation is necessary. The derived MCDs are nitrogen-doped, oxygen-rich with hydroxyl, carboxyl and amine groups, with a diameter of ca. 4.2 nm. MCDs exhibit cell permeable properties and a distinct pH-sensitive/excitation-dependent photoluminescence emission feature within pH 4.0–8.0, providing an optical probe for intracellular pH sensing and multicolor imaging of live HeLa cells. MCDs also show a strong fluorescence response to hemin, which facilitates sensitive fluorescent sensing of hemin with a detection limit of 120 nmol L−1.

Graphical abstract: Green preparation of carbon dots for intracellular pH sensing and multicolor live cell imaging

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
15 ago. 2016
Accepted
07 oct. 2016
First published
10 oct. 2016

J. Mater. Chem. B, 2016,4, 7130-7137

Green preparation of carbon dots for intracellular pH sensing and multicolor live cell imaging

W. Wang, J. Xia, J. Feng, M. He, M. Chen and J. Wang, J. Mater. Chem. B, 2016, 4, 7130 DOI: 10.1039/C6TB02071B

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements