One-pot preparation of long-wavelength carbon dots with targeting ability toward different organelles

Most organelle dyes are derived from organic molecules with limited photostability and biocompatibility, making long-term dynamic monitoring challenging. Herein, two photostable carbon dots (Y-CDs and R-CDs) with bright yellow and red fluorescence were prepared via simple one-pot solvothermal treatment with p-phenylenediamine and subsequent column chromatography. More significantly, the two carbon dots had individual targeting ability toward different organelles, namely the endoplasmic reticulum and lysosome, respectively. A series of studies were carried out to elucidate the difference between the two CDs. Two photostable carbon dots were simply prepared and separated with entirely different organelle-targeting abilities.