One-Step Hydrothermal Approach to Synthesis Carbon Dots from D-Sorbitol for Detection of Iron(III) and Cell Imaging

A facile and economic approach to synthesis highly fluorescence carbon dots (CDs) via one-step hydrothermal treatment of D-sorbitol was presented. The as-synthesized CDs were characterized by good water solubility, well monodispersion, and excellent biocompatibility. Spherical CDs had a particle size about 5 nm and exhibited a quantum yield of 8.85% at excitation wavelength of 360 nm. In addition, the CDs can serve as fluorescent probe for sensitive and selective detection of Fe³⁺ ions with the detection limit of 1.16 μM. Moreover, the potential of the as-prepared carbon dots for biological application was confirmed by employing it for fluorescence imaging in MCF-7 cells.