Pitch-derived carbon quantum dots as fluorescent probe for selective and sensitive detection of ferric ions and bioimaging

Abstract Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) emerging as newcomers of carbon nanoparticles exhibit fascinating electro-optical properties, and thereby have been widely used in many fields. Herein, we present a new facile, economical and environmentally attractive strategy for the preparation of CQDs via one-step ozone (O3) treatment of coal tar pitch (CTP). CQDs prepared by this approach exhibit a narrow size distribution between 3–7 nm, and CQDs with a diameter of 4.8 nm accounts for approximately 42.8 %. CQDs were investigated as fluorescent probes for the detection of metal ions, and demonstrated highly sensitive and selective detection of Fe3+ ions. A calibration curve displayed a linear response over the range of 0–9 μM and a detection limit of 0.02 μM (1.12 ppb). Moreover, the photoluminescence performance of the CQDs/Fe3+ complex could be recovered with the addition of EDTA, indicating a great potential for applications of this unique fluorescent CQDs in the detection of Fe3+. Finally, the experiments of CQDs in cell imaging confirmed that the CQDs can be used as potential fluorescent probes in biological imaging, cell labeling with strong luminescence and low toxicity.