One-step synthesis of a carbon dot-based fluorescent probe for colorimetric and ratiometric sensing of tetracycline

Carbon dots (CDs) with blue fluorescence were synthesized by indole-3-butyric acid and l -tryptophan using a one-step hydrothermal method. The CDs were used as a fluorescent sensor with high selectivity for colorimetric and ratiometric detection of tetracycline (TC) in water.