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A Precisely Assembled Carbon Source to Synthesize Fluorescent Carbon Quantum Dots for Sensing Probes and Bioimaging Agents
Author(s) -
Qiao Yiqiang,
Luo Dan,
Yu Min,
Zhang Ting,
Cao Xuanping,
Zhou Yanheng,
Liu Yan
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
chemistry – a european journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.687
H-Index - 242
eISSN - 1521-3765
pISSN - 0947-6539
DOI - 10.1002/chem.201705310
Subject(s) - fluorescence , carbon fibers , molecule , heteroatom , nanotechnology , hydrothermal circulation , hydrogen bond , materials science , covalent bond , quantum dot , chemistry , chemical engineering , organic chemistry , ring (chemistry) , composite number , physics , quantum mechanics , engineering , composite material
Abstract A broad range of carbon sources have been used to fabricate varieties of carbon quantum dots (CQDs). However, the majority of these studies concern the influence of primary structures and chemical compositions of precursors on the CQDs; it is still unclear whether or not the superstructures of carbon sources have effects on the physiochemical properties of the synthetic CQDs. In this work, the concept of molecular assembly is first introduced into the design of a new carbon source. Compared with the tropocollagen molecules, the hierarchically assembled collagen scaffolds, as a new carbon source, immobilize functional groups of the precursors through hydrogen bonds, electrostatic attraction, and hydrophobic forces. Moreover, the accumulation of functional groups in collagen self‐assembly further promotes the covalent bond formation in the obtained CQDs through a hydrothermal process. Both of these two chemical superiorities give rise to high quality CQDs with enhanced emission. The assembled collagen scaffold‐based CQDs with heteroatom doping exhibit superior stability, and could be further applied as effective fluorescent probes for Fe 3+ detection and cellular cytosol imaging. These findings open a wealth of possibilities to explore more nanocarbons from precursors with assembled superstructures.