Photoluminescent carbon dots directly derived from polyethylene glycol and their application for cellular imaging

• Published in: Carbon (New York) 2014-05, Vol.71, p.87-93
• Main Authors: Fan, Rui-Jun, Sun, Qiang, Zhang, Ling, Zhang, Yan, Lu, An-Hui
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Carbon; Cellular; Chemical synthesis methods; Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Exact sciences and technology; Imaging; Labelling; Materials science; Methods of nanofabrication; Optical properties and condensed-matter spectroscopy and other interactions of matter with particles and radiation; Optical properties of low-dimensional, mesoscopic, and nanoscale materials and structures; Photoluminescence; Physics; Polyethylene glycol; Sole; Surface chemistry; Surface treatments
• ISSN: 0008-6223; 1873-3891
• DOI: 10.1016/j.carbon.2014.01.016

Photoluminescent carbon dots (C-dots) were prepared directly by a simple hydrothermal treatment using polyethylene glycol with different molar weight (400–6000gmol−1) as the sole carbon source. The synthesized C-dots with tunable diameters of 2–4nm exhibit excitation-dependent photoluminescent behavior. In contrast to previous methods, neither strong acid treatment nor further surface modification is necessary for this one-step process. The C-dots with well-defined surface chemistry and properties were well-dispersed in aqueous media and showed high photostability indicating they are suitable for use in different pH and NaCl aqueous solutions. The C-dots possessed low cytotoxicity, good photostability and can enter the cancer cells, making them suitable candidates for two-photon cellular imaging and labelling.