Luminescence of lemon‐derived carbon quantum dot and its potential application in luminescent probe for detection of Mo6+ ions

This article reports on the first attempt of a systematic study on the synthesis of carbon dots (C‐dots) for the potential applications in labeling and detection of molybdenum ion (Mo6+). Carbon dots (C‐dots) were synthesized directly via a simple hydrothermal method using lemon juices as carbon precursor with different temperatures to control the luminescence of C‐dots. The obtained C‐dots had strong green light emission and the ability to use its luminescence properties as probes for Mo6+ detection application, which is based on Mo6+ induced luminescence quenching of C‐dots. This analysis system exhibits strong sensitivity and good selectivity for Mo6+ ion, and a detection limit as low as 20 ppm is achieved. These results suggest that the present C‐dots have potential application in optoelectronic, labeling and luminescent probing of Mo6+ ions.