A novel fluorescence ratio probe based on dual-emission carbon dots for highly selective and sensitive detection of chlortetracycline and cell imaging

The novel dual-emission carbon dots (DECDs) for highly selective and sensitive recognition of chlortetracycline (CTC) and cell imaging were synthesized successfully by one-step synthesis. The obtained DECDs possessed two fluorescence peaks (345 nm and 450 nm) and showed specific response to CTC, resulting in a decrease in fluorescence intensity at 345 nm, a blue shift, and an increase in fluorescence intensity at 450 nm. The obtained DECDs exhibited highly selective response to CTC and not to its analogues, such as tetracycline, doxycycline, and oxytetracycline. Thus, an excellent ratiometric probe for the detection of CTC was fabricated successfully and used for the detection of CTC in real samples with the detection limit (LOD) of 16.45 nM. More importantly, the DECDs were used for quantitative detection of CTC in living cells, which demonstrated excellent biocompatibility and broad prospects in biomedicine application. Finally, the excellent selectivity of DECDs toward CTC was attributed to the FRET mechanism and the formation of complexes. Graphical abstract