Facile Synthesis of Nitrogen-Rich Carbon Dots as Fertilizers for Mung Bean Sprouts

Nitrogen-doped carbon-dots (N-CDs) are synthesized using a solid-state method and applied as nanofertilizers. Specifically, 70 g of mung bean seeds are cultivated in the aqueous solution of N-CDs (0.2 mg mL(-1)) and yields 646 g of bean sprouts; this yield is significantly higher than that obtained in the pure water control (i.e., 550 g of bean sprouts from 70 g of beans). Furthermore, blue florescence is observed during the sprouting process, which gradually migrates from the beans to the root ends, implying the absorption and migration of the N-CDs during this process. This work demonstrates that the N-CDs not only serve as a new fertilizer for promoting plant growth but also enable in vivo monitoring of the plant growth progress of plants, opening up new possibilities of CDs-related materials for future agricultural applications.