Constructing carbon dots and CdTe quantum dots multi-functional composites for ultrasensitive sensing and rapid degrading ciprofloxacin

The sensitive monitoring and rapid removal antibiotics residues are great challenges and hugely significant for the environmental protection. In this work, a green and facile strategy was obtained for the fabrication of highly fluorescent carbon dots (CDs) through hydrothermal treatment of osmanthus fragrans leaves as carbon source and polyethyleneimine as nitrogen source. Then the prepared blue CDs were combined with red CdTe quantum dots (QDs) for constructing MIPs@CdTe/CDs@SiO 2 was applied to selectively and sensitively assay ciprofloxacin (CIP) and TiO 2 /CDs/CdTe QDs as photocatalyst for the degradation of CIP. Under optimum conditions, MIPs@CdTe/CDs@SiO 2 has exhibited lower detection limit of 0.0127 nM with the linear range of 0–60 nM, and successfully applied to monitor CIP in human urine samples. Moreover, the TiO 2 /CDs/CdTe QDs also displayed good photocatalytic degradation of activity to CIP under sunlight irradiation. This present work which was rational constructed materials based on CDs and CdTe QDs illustrates the great practicability and potential to rapid and efficient determination and removal environmental pollutants in the future.