Green synthesis of carbon nanodots as an effective fluorescent probe for sensitive and selective detection of mercury(II) ions

The present communication reports on the use of sweet potatoes as carbon source for green synthesis of fluorescent carbon nanodots (CNDs) ranging from 1 to 3 nm. We further demonstrate the use of such CNDs as a very effective fluorescent probe for label-free, sensitive, and selective detection of Hg2+ with a detection limit as low as 1 nM. The feasibility of the CNDs for analysis of Hg2+ in a real water sample is also demonstrated successfully.