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[Display omitted] • Blue, green, and red carbon dots were successfully synthesized using zanthoxylum bungeanum, enabling diverse applications. • This work provides a new strategy for preparing high-performance multicolor carbon dots (CDs) from natural product. • The multicolor CDs demonstrated good salt resistance, photobleaching resistance, and chemical stability. • The multicolor CDs are suitable for anti-counterfeiting applications in fluorescent ink. Multicolor fluorescent carbon dots (CDs) have wide application prospects in many fields. Presented herein reported a synthesis of multicolor fluorescent CDs using zanthoxylum bungeanum as a carbon precursor. By changing the nitrogen sources, blue, green, and red fluorescent carbon dots (B-CDs, G-CDs, and R-CDs) with stable optical properties and high quantum yields (QY) were synthesized. Their emission wavelengths are 492 nm, 523 nm, and 601 nm respectively and their QYs were measured to be 13.1%, 11.2%, and 9.8%, respectively. These CDs exhibit good salt resistance, photobleaching resistance, and chemical stability. These characteristics make them suitable for various applications, particularly in the field of anti-counterfeiting fluorescent ink. This study provides an economic and efficient strategy for synthesizing multicolor fluorescent CDs derived from natural products, highlighting the potential for producing multicolor CDs and enhancing their application value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon dots (CDs) are a class of highly efficient and low-toxicity fluorescent nanomaterials. In this study, using cordyceps militaris as a carbon source, we prepared green-emitting CDs with excellent properties, such as good photobleaching resistance, salt resistance and chemical stability, as well as high quantum yield. Further exploration of the versatile applications of G-CDs in chemical detection and information anti-counterfeiting fields revealed that G-CDs can not only be used as detection agent for analyzing alcohol content in alcoholic beverages but also serve as waterproof fluorescent ink for painting and writing due to their water-resistant property. This work is based on natural biomass as the main precursor to prepare fluorescent CDs with excellent luminescent characteristics and stable physicochemical properties. It is significant for reducing reliance on chemical reagents, lowering the cost of synthesizing CDs, and expanding the application range of CDs. • Green carbon dots (G-CDs) were synthesized using cordyceps militaris as a carbon source. • G-CDs exhibit photobleaching resistance, salt resistance, chemical stability, and high quantum yield. • G-CDs can be used as detection agents for analyzing alcohol content and waterproof fluorescent ink. • The synthesis of CDs from natural biomass reduces reliance on chemical reagents, lowers the cost of production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]