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Microwave-assisted synthesis of N,P-doped carbon dots for fluorescent cell imaging

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Abstract

Nitrogen and phosphorus co-doped carbon dots (N,P-C-dots) were prepared by microwave-assisted thermolysis of N-phosphonomethyl aminodiacetic acid and ethylenediamine. N,P-C-dots exhibit bright blue fluorescence with an emission maximum at 418 nm. Experimental results show that they have uniform dispersion with the average size of 3.3 nm, a fluorescence decay time of 7.8 ns, a quantum yield of 17.5 %, low toxicity, and good stability. All these make them an excellent choice as a fluorescent nanomaterial for use in cellular imaging.

Nitrogen and phosphorus co-doped carbon dots (N,P-C-dots) were rapidly prepared via a simple and low-cost microwave-assisted synthetic route. The dots were used for cellular imaging.

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Acknowledgments

This work was financially supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 21275130, 21475118, and 21175118).

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Correspondence to Ai-Jun Wang.

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Li, H., Shao, FQ., Zou, SY. et al. Microwave-assisted synthesis of N,P-doped carbon dots for fluorescent cell imaging. Microchim Acta 183, 821–826 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-015-1714-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-015-1714-2

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