Selective determination of Ag+ using Salecan derived nitrogen doped carbon dots as a fluorescent probe

•Green synthesis of N-CDs from hydrothermal treatment of Salecan•The N-CDs was demonstrated to detect Ag+ in environmental water sample.•The method was applied to the determination of Ag+ dissolved in water.

We report that nitrogen doped carbon dots (N-CDs) represent a viable fluorescent probe for the determination of Ag+. The N-CDs can be fairly easily prepared by a hydrothermal treatment method using Salecan and dicyandiamide as the precursors, display excitation/emission maxima of 350/438 nm. The N-CDs have an average diameter of about 3.8 nm. The N-CDs exhibited blue fluorescence (quantum yield of 13.2%) and could response to Ag+ selectively and sensitively. Other ions nearly had no interference. The probe has excellent selectivity, high sensitivity, and a linear response range that extends from 0 to 40 μM. The limit of detection is as low as 1.12 × 10− 7 mol/L. The method was applied to the determination of Ag+ dissolved in water.