Synthesis of multicolor fluorescent carbon dots from zanthoxylum bungeanum and their application in fluorescent anti-counterfeiting ink

Multicolor fluorescent carbon dots (CDs) have wide application prospects in many fields. Presented herein reported a synthesis of multicolor fluorescent CDs using zanthoxylum bungeanum as a carbon precursor. By changing the nitrogen sources, blue, green, and red fluorescent carbon dots (B-CDs, G-CDs, and R-CDs) with stable optical properties and high quantum yields (QY) were synthesized. Their emission wavelengths are 492 nm, 523 nm, and 601 nm respectively and their QYs were measured to be 13.1%, 11.2%, and 9.8%, respectively. These CDs exhibit good salt resistance, photobleaching resistance, and chemical stability. These characteristics make them suitable for various applications, particularly in the field of anti-counterfeiting fluorescent ink. This study provides an economic and efficient strategy for synthesizing multicolor fluorescent CDs derived from natural products, highlighting the potential for producing multicolor CDs and enhancing their application value.