Multi-functional carbon dots for visual detection of picric acid and white-light emission

[Display omitted] •The single-pot, fast and facile synthesis protocol for multi-functional carbon dots (CDs).•The selective and sensitive detection of picric acid, via luminescence quenching of CDs.•White-light emission was realized using Poly vinyl alcohol (PVA)-CDs composite as a the colour converting phosphor. Herein we report the synthesis of multifunctional carbon dots (CDs) through microwave-assisted pyrolysis of 2-aminoterephthalic acid and polyethylene glycol. The CDs exhibited relatively high photoluminescence quantum yield of about 67 %, and has been found to be selective and ultrasensitive to the nitroaromatic explosive picric acid, with a detection limit as low as 18 nM. The visual detection of the analyte was realized using CDs in the solid-phase, after coating the dots on silica-based thin-layer chromatographic plates. Furthermore, the broad-band luminescence was exploited for UV-to-visible light conversion, to obtain the color parameters of CIE (0.35, 0.33), CRI of 92 and CCT of 5246 K, representing the cool, white-gamut region of 1931 CIE chromaticity diagram.