Dual functional carbonaceous nanodots exist in a cup of tea†
Abstract
Highly photoluminescent (PL) carbonaceous nanodots (CNDs) with a PL quantum yield (PLQY) of 6.8% have been discovered and obtained from tea water. Characterization indicated that the CNDs show amorphous structure, good monodispersity, excellent water-solubility, interesting PL properties, acceptable PL lifetime, and fairly good photostability and biocompatibility, which can enable the obtained CNDs to be applied to Hg2+ detecting and cell imaging.