Luminescence of lemon-derived carbon quantum dot and its potential application in luminescent probe for detection of Mo ions.

This article reports on the first attempt of a systematic study on the synthesis of carbon dots (C-dots) for the potential applications in labeling and detection of molybdenum ion (Mo ). Carbon dots (C-dots) were synthesized directly via a simple hydrothermal method using lemon juices as carbon precursor with different temperatures to control the luminescence of C-dots. The obtained C-dots had strong green light emission and the ability to use its luminescence properties as probes for Mo detection application, which is based on Mo induced luminescence quenching of C-dots. This analysis system exhibits strong sensitivity and good selectivity for Mo ion, and a detection limit as low as 20 ppm is achieved. These results suggest that the present C-dots have potential application in optoelectronic, labeling and luminescent probing of Mo ions.