Amide salt pyrolysis for fluorescent carbon dots: Ultrasensitive and selective hypochlorite detection

A novel carbon dot material (CDs300) synthesized via high-temperature pyrolysis of amide salts. • CDs300 has a high quantum yield of 67.75%, excellent photostability, and low cytotoxicity. • Enables rapid, ultrasensitive, and selective fluorescence detection of ClO − . • Linear fluorescence response (0.01–17.5 μM) with a detection limit of 1.8 nM. • Validated in tap water samples, proving reliability for environmental/health monitoring. Prolonged exposure to hypochlorite (ClO − ) poses serious health risks, underscoring the urgent need for highly sensitive detection strategies. Carbon dots (CDs), as an emerging class of carbon-based nanomaterials, exhibit exceptional optical properties and excellent biocompatibility, and have shown great promise in fluorescence sensing. Nevertheless, CDs with ultrasensitive and selective responses toward ClO − remain scarce. Herein, we report a carbon dot material (designated as CDs300) synthesized via high-temperature pyrolysis of amide salts, achieving a remarkable quantum yield of 67.75%. CDs300 features outstanding photostability, low cytotoxicity, and enables rapid, ultrasensitive, and selective detection of ClO − . Notably, it exhibits a linear fluorescence response in the concentration range of 0.01–17.5 μM, with a detection limit as low as 6.59 nM. Furthermore, spiked recovery experiments in tap water confirmed its reliability for practical environmental monitoring. This work introduces a novel material platform for efficient ClO − detection and provides a solid foundation for its potential applications in environmental surveillance and public health protection. Download: Download high-res image (335KB) Download: Download full-size image