title: Synthesis of biocompatible and highly photoluminescent nitrogen doped carbon dots from lime: analytical applications and optimization using response surface methodology.
abstract: Herein, a facile hydrothermal treatment of lime juice to prepare biocompatible nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots (N-CQDs) in the presence of ammonium bicarbonate as a nitrogen source has been presented. The resulting N-CQDs exhibited excitation and pH independent emission behavior; with the quantum yield (QY) up to 40%, which was several times greater than the corresponding value for CQDs with no added nitrogen source. The N-CQDs were applied as a fluorescent probe for the sensitive and selective detection of Hg(2+) ions with a detection limit of 14 nM. Moreover, the cellular uptake and cytotoxicity of N-CQDs at different concentration ranges from 0.0 to 0.8 mg/ml were investigated by using PC12 cells as a model system. Response surface methodology was used for optimization and systematic investigation of the main variables that influence the QY, including reaction time, reaction temperature, and ammonium bicarbonate weight.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Chemistry, Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences, Zanjan, Iran.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barati
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran. Electronic address: mshamsipur@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Mojtaba
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shamsipur
authors.affiliation: Nano Drug Delivery Research Center Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran.
authors.forename: Elham
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Arkan
authors.affiliation: Novel Drug Delivery Research Center, Faculty of Pharmacy, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran.
authors.forename: Leila
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hosseinzadeh
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Chemistry, Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences, Zanjan, Iran. Electronic address: abd@iasbs.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Hamid
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Abdollahi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry*; D017610:Calcium Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D002244:Carbon / Q000737:chemistry*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000737:chemistry*; D007477:Ions / Q000737:chemistry; D008628:Mercury / Q000737:chemistry; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000737:chemistry*; D010087:Oxides / Q000737:chemistry*; D016716:PC12 Cells; D045663:Quantum Dots / Q000737:chemistry*; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D017610:Calcium Compounds; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D007477:Ions; D010087:Oxides; D002244:Carbon; C016538:lime; D008628:Mercury; D009584:Nitrogen
keywords: Carbon quantum dots; Cytotoxicity assay; Hg(II) detection; Nitrogen doped; Response surface methodology