Turmeric-based green carbon quantum dots for bacterial labeling and cell imaging

Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) have received increasing interest owing to their excellent optical and chemical characteristics, and high biocompatibility. Herein, turmeric was employed as a carbon source to fabricate green CQDs (named WT-JHCQDs) by hydrothermal technique. The fluorescence of WT-JHCQDs is particularly stable at different pH and high concentrations of NaCl. Moreover, WT-JHCQDs exhibit low cytotoxicity, good antioxidant properties, and outstanding biocompatibility. The WT-JHCQDs possess protruding ability of cell imaging and bacteria imaging. This work provides a promising strategy for designing excellent fluorescent probes for bioimaging.