Target-oriented synthesis of high synthetic yield carbon dots by waxberry for optical dual-mode and smartphone imaging detection of morin

Recently, the use of natural products for the synthesis of carbon dots (CDs) has received much attention due to its peculiar characteristics. Herewith, the novelty of our present work is the green, large-scale production of fluorescent nitrogen doped CDs (N-CDs) synthesized from the waxberry by simple hydrothermal treatment. The current method delivers a high yield of 71% and the N-CDs exhibits 484 nm emission wavelength for detection of morin. Meanwhile, the increase of morin concentration can cause significant color changes. Hence, an optical dual-mode sensor for morin detection in the range of 0–35 μM with a limit of detection (LOD) of 56 nM and a smartphone imaging method are developed, which will broaden the application range of N-CDs in on-site detection.