Nitrogen and Chlorine Co-doped Carbon Dots as a Highly Selective and Sensitive Fluorescent Probe for Sensing of PH, Tetracycline Detection and Cell Imaging

Carbon dots have been widely focused on the field of sensing and detection due to their excellent optical property. Herein, novel orange fluorescent nitrogen and chlorine co-doped carbon dots (N,Cl-CDs) are obtained by one-pot hydrothermal method using o-phenylenediamine and neutral red. Based on the inner filter effect, the prepared N,Cl-CDs can be innovatively developed as an effective “signal-off” multifunctional sensing platform for sensitive determination of tetracycline. The proposed sensor was utilized to realize the determination of tetracycline in Rirver water samples/milk samples (λex = 390 nm, λem = 606 nm) with satisfactory recoveries and relative standard deviations. The linear range of are 0.05 to 45 μM and 45 to135 μM, and detection limit is 3.9 nM (3σ/m). Meanwhile, the luminescent intensity of N,Cl-CDs was reduced gradually when pH changed continuously from 12 to 2, showing a pH-responsive fluorescence property with two linear ranges of pH 3–7 and pH 7–10. In addition, due to the characteristics of low toxicity and excellent biocompatibility, the N, Cl-CDs were also used in the imaging of oocystis cells, which is hopeful to realize the detection of tetracycline in living cells.