Microwave hydrothermal synthesis of ascorbic acid derived nitrogen-doped carbon dots and its application in peroxide detection

Synthesis of nitrogen-doped carbon dots (N-CDs) using urea and ascorbic acid as carbon sources is addressed in this study using a microwave-assisted hydrothermal technique. The samples were characterized by ultraviolet, photoluminescence (PL) and transmission electron microscopy analyses, which confirmed the formation of CDs. Besides PL properties, the peroxidase-like catalytic activity of the CDs and N-CDs was also compared. Interestingly, the N-CDs exhibit higher peroxidase-like catalytic activity than pure CDs and can be used to detect H₂O₂. Additionally, we synthesized several N-CD ratios and evaluated their peroxidase-like catalytic activity.