Studies on multiemission fluorescent carbon dots (CDs) excited at one wavelength are extremely promising because of their label-free property, facile synthesis, multicolor visualization, and prevention of background interference. In this study, a novel template strategy to develop multiemission carbon dots (M-CDs) using fluorescent precursors has emerged. We attempted to elucidate the relationship between precursor substances and luminescence origins. The M-CDs prepared by calcein demonstrate three emissions, ultraviolet (UV), blue, and green, which are attributed to the solvent, surface defect, and precursor aromatic ring luminophores, respectively. Also, through a regular adjustment of the amount of NaOH or the solvothermal synthesis time, the expected optical requirements were successfully met by the M-CDs, which is a better capability than that of previously reported M-CDs. In addition, a multicolor sensor designed with M-CDs and rhodamine B (RhB) has been successfully applied in cell imaging. When exposed to different pH media, the fluorescence (FL) emission shows a linear relationship with the pH value, displaying a profuse color evolution from dark blue to light blue, cyan, green, yellow, and finally, orange.
Keywords: carbon dots; luminescence origin; multicolor fluorescent sensing; multiemissions; pH detection; visualization.