Nitrogen-doped carbon dots as efficient turn-on fluorescent probe for assay of organophosphorus pesticides

Concerns regarding human health and food safety have generated interest in developing simple,accurate,and cost-effective strategies for evaluating organophosphorus pesticide(OP)residues.In this study,nitrogen-doped carbon dots(N-CDs)were synthesized from a common low-cost precursor via a simple pyrolysis process.The fluorescence of the N-CDs can be suppressed by p-nitrophenol,which is the hydrolysis product of the p-nitrophenyl phosphate salt catalyzed by alkaline phosphatase(ALP).A fluorescent turn-on assay for the inhibitory effect of glyphosate was developed with a low detection limit and wide linear range.Moreover,the feasibility of visualizing OPs in vegetables was demonstrated by the fluorescence imaging of glyphosate on cabbage leaves.This research not only offers a facile method for the synthesis of highly fluorescent CDs but also inspires the development of effective multi-mode sensing platforms that include fluorescent testing and imaging for monitoring pesticide residues.