Green synthesis of fluorescent carbon dots from Kumquat (Fortunella margarita) for detection of Fe3+ ions in aqueous solution

In this study, kumquat was first time used for synthesizing carbon dot structures (CDs) with the hydrothermal method. These newly synthesized CDs was characterized structurally and optically. The ion sensor application of the new CDs was carried out using 20 different metal ions. It was observed that CDs have high selectivity only for Fe3+ ions among the metal ions studied. Detection limit for Fe3+ ions was calculated as 0.70 µM. The results showed that these new CDs are highly selective against Fe3+ ions and have a very short response time such as 0.5 min. The Fe3+ ions selectivity of CDs was tested on real (tap water) samples. The results exhibited that this new CDs, obtained with green synthesis from Kumquat fruit without using chemical agents in one-pot simple and economical process, can be used as fluorometric sensor for detection of Fe3+ ions with high selectivity and sensitivity, low detection limit and rapid response time.