Large‐Scale Green Synthesis of Fluorescent Carbon Nanodots and Their Use in Optics Applications

Abstract

An easy and green synthetic strategy for the one‐pot large‐scale preparation of carbon nanodots (C‐dots) is demonstrated. The C‐dots have a series of excellent optical features such as strong fluorescence and excitation‐wavelength‐dependent photoluminescence properties. Notably, C‐dots can be rapidly and facilely achieved on a large scale (e.g., 0.3 g C‐dots/25 min) by using cheap, accessible, and natural materials (e.g., milk, honey, silk, hair, lemon, and magnolia) as the green carbonaceous precursor. The as‐prepared C‐dots, which are shown to serve as high‐performance fluorescent stains, are superbly suitable for a variety of optics‐related applications, including in vitro and in vivo bioimaging, printing inks, and sensors. Eventually, this kind of microwave‐assisted strategy could serve as a powerful tool for synthesizing large‐scale C‐dots with strong fluorescence, holding great promise for myriad optics‐related applications.