Highly luminescent pH-responsive carbon quantum dots for cell imaging
Xiaohui Fan, Yang Wang, Bo Li, Chang Shen, Zhengguang Sun, Yuan Zhan, Yuhong Zhang
Abstract
Abstract Carbon quantum dots (CDs) have attracted tremendous interest owing to their idiosyncratic functions and wide-ranging applications. However, it remains a great challenge to empolder an integrated CDs combining high luminescence, biocompatibility and luminescence color tunability for bioimaging via simple approach. In this work, pH-responsive carbon quantum dots (Si-CDs) with high luminescence (quantum yield = 74.8%) were fabricated by one-step hydrothermal method using (3-mercaptopropyl) triethoxysilane (KH-580) as modifier for the first time. The optical properties of the as-prepared Si-CDs can be controlled from obvious green–blue–violet transformation by altering the pH. More importantly, the change is reversible and repeatable. In addition, the Si-CDs have good biocompatibility and chemically inert in vitro cell system simulation. Such non-toxic, environmental friendly, low-cost, inert CDs materials are promising candidates for biomedical and pH-sensitive sensors.