Amine functionalized carbon quantum dots from paper precursors for selective binding and fluorescent labelling applications.

We report a novel synthesis route for preparing carbon quantum dots (CQDs) of customized surface functionality from readily available precursors. The synthetic strategy is based on the chemical modification of paper precursors prior to preparing CQDs from them. The pre-synthesis modification of paper precursors with (3-Aminopropyl) triethoxy silane (APTES) enabled us to synthesize CQDs with amine functional groups on the surface.