Aggregation-induced-emission red carbon dots for ratiometric sensing of norfloxacin and anti-counterfeiting

The detection of trace antibiotic residues holds significant importance because it's related to food safety and human health. In this study, we developed a new high-yield red-emitting carbon dots (R-CDs) with aggregation-induced emission properties for ratiometric sensing of norfloxacin. R-CDs were prepared in 30 min using an economical and efficient microwave-assisted method with tartaric acid and o-phenylenediamine as precursors, achieving a high yield of 34.4 %. R-CDs showed concentration-dependent fluorescence and aggregation-induced-emission properties. A ratiometric fluorescent probe for detecting the norfloxacin was developed. In the range of 0–40 μM, the intensity ratio of two emission peaks (I445 nm/I395 nm) towards norfloxacin show good linear relationship with its concentrations and a low detection limit was obtained (36.78 nM). In addition, complex patterns were developed for anti-counterfeiting based on different emission phenomenon at different concentrations. In summary, this study designed a novel ratiometric fluorescent probe for detection of norfloxacin, which greatly shortens the detection time and improves efficiency compared with high-performance liquid chromatography and other methods. The study will promote the application of carbon dots in anti-counterfeiting and other related fields, laying the foundation for the preparation of low-cost photosensitive anti-counterfeiting materials.