Bioinspired Carbon Dots as an Effective Fluorescent Sensing Platform for Tetracycline Detection and Bioimaging

Abstract Bioinspired carbon dots (CDs) with excellent biocompatibility were prepared from egg white as precursors through a simple hydrothermal method at 200 °C for 4 hours. The obtained CDs exhibited bright blue fluorescence, excellent optical stability, and sensitive response to tetracycline. Under the optimized synthetic conditions, the fluorescence quantum yield is 17.6 %. The fluorescence intensity of CDs at 440 nm could be quenched linearly with the addition of tetracycline in the range of 0.1–200 μmol L−1 due to the internal filtering effect. The proposed detection platform has been applied in the determination of tetracycline in milk samples with good results. The limit of detection is 32.3 nmol L−1, and the spiked recoveries are in the range of 93–103 %. Additionally, the CDs could also be applied to cell imaging, implying good biocompatibility and low toxicity. As a type of green and effective multi‐functional fluorescence materials, the CDs have potential applications in biochemical sensing and biomedical imaging.