Blue Fluorescent Nitrogen‐Doped Carbon Dots for the Specific Detection of Mn2+

Abstract Manganese is one of vital elements related to various diseases. Nowadays, few works can specifically respond to Mn 2+ alone. Hence, it is still challenging for specific detection of Mn ion. In this work, nitrogen‐doped carbon dots (N‐CDs) with blue luminescence properties was prepared using nitrated pyrene and diethylenetriamine (DETA) via one‐step solvothermal process. N‐CDs were applied as a fluorescent probe for specific detection of Mn 2+ because of their high selectivity and sensitivity. No apparent fluorescence interferences can be observed with various amino acids and metal ions. The minimum concentration detected was 5 nM. The quenching mechanism maybe attributed to dynamic quenching processes. Notably, in this work, a visual early‐warning of Mn content exceeding the standard in drinking water in the light of fluorescence quenching of N‐CDs was achieved, and the practical sensing of N‐CDs which performed in environmental water samples demonstrated the detection performance of N‐CDs in real samples.