A facile carbon dots based fluorescent probe for ultrasensitive detection of ascorbic acid in biological fluids via non-oxidation reduction strategy

A rapid, facile and ultrasensitive fluorescence sensing system based on nitrogen-doped carbon dots (N-doped CDs) for the detection of ascorbic acid (AA) was developed. The highly photoluminescent N-doped CDs with excellent solubility in water and good biocompatibility were prepared by a one-step hydrothermal synthesis and gave the fluorescence quantum yield of 47%. The addition of AA can intensively suppress the fluorescence of the N-doped CDs through the synergistic effect of the inner filter effect (IFE) and the static quenching effect (SQE). Benefited from the remarkable synergistic effect of IFE and SQE, a facile and ultrasensitive sensor was constructed successfully for AA sensing. The detection procedure was achieved within 2 min. The linear response range of AA was obtained from 10−3 to 10−8 M with a detection limit of 5 nM. This developed method enjoyed many merits including more simplicity, lost cost, high sensitivity, good selectivity, rapid response and excellent biocompatibility. Notably, the proposed fluorescent sensor exhibits excellent performance and applicability for AA determination in human serum and rat brain microdialysate, and may provide a fast yet facile route for AA detection in physiological and pathological fields.