Fluorescence estimation of total protein in blood serum using N-doped carbon dots

Abstract

In this article, Nitrogen-doped carbon dots (NCDs) were used as a fluorescent probe for the detection of total serum proteins. NCDs were synthesized by microwave-assisted method using citric acid as the carbon source and ethylenediamine as passivating agent. The strong intensity of fluorescence emission was observed at λex/λem ≈ 350/460 nm. The particles are found to be uniformly spherical with an average dimension of 10 nm. The fluorescence intensity of NCDs increased linearly with the addition of bovine serum albumin (BSA) concentrations from 0.5 g/dL to 15 g/dL. The role of interfering agents was investigated and found that NCDs were sensitive to BSA specifically.