One step synthesis of ultra-high quantum yield fluorescent carbon dots for “on-off-on” detection of Hg2+ and biothiols

In this paper, the carbon dots (CDs) with strong blue fluorescence were synthesized through hydrothermal method, which using folic acid, ammonium citrate and ethylenediamine as precursors. The prepared CDs with a high absolute quantum yield of 81.94% and showed excellent stability in high concentration salt solution and different pH conditions. With the addition of Hg 2+ , the signal of CDs was selectively quenched. At the same time, the CDs-Hg 2+ system could be recovered after the introduction of biothiols. Moreover, the fluorescence of CDs showed a good linear relationship with Hg 2+ (1–15 µM), and the detection limit as low as 0.08 µM. In addition, the prepared CDs with low toxicity could be used to detect Hg 2+ in living cells and actual water samples.