Multifunctional carbon dots (CDs) present enormous potential in numerous applications and have attracted widespread attention for various applications in the biomedical field. Bacterial infection is a common health issue; the development of antibacterial materials with low toxicity and good biocompatibility is becoming more important. In this work, we synthesized a new type of nitrogen co-doped carbon dots-genipin covalent conjugate (N-CDs-GP) via hydrothermal methods. The microstructure and chemical composition of the N-CDs-GP were characterized. The biocompatibility, stability, antibacterial activity, and fluorescence performance of the N-CDs-GP were assessed. The results revealed that N-CDs-GP possessed high biocompatibility, high light stability, and broad antibacterial activity. Additionally, selective Gram-positive bacterial imaging by N-CDs-GP provided a more rapid method of bacterial detection. The N-CDs-GP have the potential to be applied as bioimaging and antibacterial agents and for bacterial discrimination.
Keywords: Antibacterial activity; Bacterial discrimination; Bioimaging; Multifunctional carbon dots.
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