Sensitive detection of Fe 3+ ions and cell imaging of carbon nanodots derived from canistel ( Pouteria campechiana )

In this report, canistel fruit was employed to synthesize carbon nanodots (CDs) by hydrothermal method. Particle size distribution by TEM image analysis indicated the average diameter of CDs ~ 8.1 nm. XRD and Raman spectroscopy results confirmed the amorphous nature of the canistel fruit-derived CDs. These particles exhibit the phenomenon of excitation-dependent PL. The sensitively detect Fe 3+ ions in the range of 27 to 2700 µM was investigated. Besides, a simple experiment was conducted to probe the possible application of the obtained CDs for cell imaging whereby onion epidermal cells (OECs) exhibited multiple color emissions after using CDs as a dye. Based on the result, it would provide useful information to focus on designing structures of CDs with higher sensitivity and selectivity for the quantitation of metal ions. Especially, the promising result with OECs may have potential as an effective solution of multicolor bio-labeling reagent once further studies are conducted to clarify the biocompatibility of CDs for living cell systems. Graphical abstract