Pyromellitic acid-derived highly fluorescent N-doped carbon dots for the sensitive and selective determination of 4-nitrophenol

Abstract Highly fluorescent N-doped carbon dots (NCDs) were fabricated using pyromellitic acid (PA) and ethylene diamine (EDA) as novel precursors. The NCDs exhibited excellent fluorescent properties with a quantum yield as high as 75% due to the enhancement effect of the N dopant on the surface of the NCDs. Moreover, owing to its strong cyan fluorescence, the newly synthesized NCDs were applied effectively as a fluorescence platform for the sensitive and selective determination of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) without further chemical modification. The NCDs fabricated in this study exhibited a wide linear range, low detection limit, and excellent selectivity towards other organic compounds.