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Deep Eutectic Solvent-assisted Synthesis of Nitrogen-doped Carbon Quantum Dots for Cell Imaging

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Abstract

Carbon quantum dots(CQDs) are widely used in fluorescence imaging due to their negligible toxicity, low-cost and excellent fluorescence properties. The fluorescence properties of CQDs are greatly affected by the synthesis method, passivation agent and reaction media. In this study, the nitrogen-doped CQDs(N-CQDs) were synthesized by a facile microwave-assisted method with citric acid(CA) as a carbon source and deep eutectic solvents as a N-dopant as well as the reaction solvent. After detailed characterizations, the as-prepared N-CQDs exhibited near spherical morphology with an average size of (2.64±0.55) nm. Besides, the abundant hydrophilic functional groups including hydroxyl, carboxyl, amine and quaternary ammonium were present on the surface of the N-CQDs. The N-CQDs displayed the excitation-dependent fluorescence feature under the excitation wavelength of 350–480 nm. Moreover, the N-CQDs could be efficiently uptaken by RAW264.7 cells and emitted bright green light. Meanwhile, the resultant N-CQDs showed the low cytotoxicity in living cells, suggesting the great potential in bio-imaging applications.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, P. R. China

    Long Li, Yan Huang, Pei Zhao, Haochi Miao & Ting Zhao

Authors
  1. Long Li
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  2. Yan Huang
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  3. Pei Zhao
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  4. Haochi Miao
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  5. Ting Zhao
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yan Huang.

Additional information

Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.21601068) and the Scientific Research Foundation for Advanced Talents of Jiangsu University, China(No.14JDG054).

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Li, L., Huang, Y., Zhao, P. et al. Deep Eutectic Solvent-assisted Synthesis of Nitrogen-doped Carbon Quantum Dots for Cell Imaging. Chem. Res. Chin. Univ. 36, 955–961 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40242-020-0015-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40242-020-0015-4

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