One-step hydrothermal synthesis of pH-mediated histidine carbon dots for bio-imaging and white light emission

Abstract

Carbon Dots have promising applications in optics, catalysis, sensing, etc. Single precursor-based white light-emitting carbon dots are very rare. In the present contribution, we aim to synthesize pH mediated (~8 and <1) histidine carbon dots and their photophysical properties. His pH1 CD and His-pH8 showed bluish-white emission and blue emission behavior in water medium under UV light. His-pH1 CD showed aggregation-induced white emission in ethanol whereas His-pH8 CD does not. A sharp decrement in intensity was observed for His-pH 1 CD as soon as the pH decreased from 7 to 6. So, it can be used as a pH-based sensor. Furthermore, we have studied the interaction with lipid vesicles which reveals the discriminatory behavior of lipid vesicles towards as synthesized pH-mediated carbon dots. White light was obtained through His-pH1 polymer composites.