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A facile solvothermal method was used to prepare N-doped fluorescent nanoparticles (NFNPs) at gram scale from tartaric acid/citric acid/ethylenediamine using oleic acid as the reaction medium. The quantum yield of the obtained fluorescent nanoparticles could reach 48.7%. The NFNPs were characterized by multiple analytical techniques. By combining with the circular dichroism (CD) spectra, the structure and the origin of photoluminescence of the NFNPs were discussed. The fluorescent intensity of the obtained NFNPs had remarkable stability, and exhibited a reversible temperature-dependent enhancement/quenching. The products with low cytotoxicity could be introduced into the target cells for in vitrobioimaging.

A simple and convenient method for the synthesis of nitrogen-doped carbon dots (N-CDs) was reported. Layers of the N-CDs and ferrocene@β-cyclodextrin (Fc@β-CD) host–guest complex were deposited on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) which was used for highly selective and sensitive detection of uric acid (UA). Under the optimal conditions, compared to bare, N-CD and Fc@β-CD modified electrodes, the Fc@β-CD/N-CD/GCE had higher catalytic activity toward the oxidation of UA. Differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) was used as the analytical technique for detection of UA, the observed linear range for the determination of the UA concentration was from 5 μM to 120 μM with the detection limit estimated to be 0.08 μM (3S/N). Meanwhile, it was applied to determine uric acid in spiked samples with satisfactory results.