Characterization of carbon quantum dots obtained through citric acid pyrolysis

Abstract Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) were produced through citric acid (CA) pyrolysis. For the first time, we searched for the optimum CA pyrolysis duration and temperature. As a basic quality criterion of quantum dots, photoluminescence quantum yield (QY) was chosen. For this purpose, the pyrolysis products were analysed with UV–Vis spectroscopy and fluorescence (FL) spectroscopy. The optimum pyrolysis time was accepted to be 240 min, whereas the optimum pyrolysis temperature was approved as 200 °C. The pyrolysis products obtained at the optimum conditions were further subjected to dialysis. Finally, the purified CQDs were characterised with FL spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, Raman spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy. The produced CQDs were shown to be stable in water solution. Their PL QY (6.1%) was decreased to 1.2% after CQDs exposure to daylight for 90 days. Luminescent polymer composites were produced when CQDs were embedded in the poly(vinyl alcohol) and bacterial cellulose matrices. The prepared composites can be used for fabrication of transparent, flexible, and luminescent films and for production of anti-counterfeiting paper for confidential documents, labels, and banknotes.

[1]  F. V. Pereira,et al.  Carbon dots prepared by different bottom-up methods: a study on optical properties and the application as nanoprobes for metal ions detection , 2023, Fullerenes, Nanotubes and Carbon Nanostructures.

[2]  Do Quang Huy,et al.  Carbon dots in environmental treatment and protection applications , 2023, Desalination.

[3]  N. Malek,et al.  Advances in Ultra-small Fluorescence Nanoprobes for Detection of Metal Ions, Drugs, Pesticides and Biomarkers , 2022, Journal of Fluorescence.

[4]  P. Kumar,et al.  A critical review on the environmental applications of carbon dots. , 2022, Chemosphere.

[5]  H. Imahori,et al.  Citric Acid-Based Carbon Dots and Their Application in Energy Conversion , 2022, ACS Applied Electronic Materials.

[6]  Marius Otten,et al.  Pyrolysis and Solvothermal Synthesis for Carbon Dots: Role of Purification and Molecular Fluorophores. , 2022, Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids.

[7]  Yuanshen Huang,et al.  Preparation of multicolor carbon dots with high fluorescence quantum yield and application in white LED , 2022, Chemical Physics Letters.

[8]  M. Zulfajri,et al.  Carbon Dot/Polymer Composites with Various Precursors and Their Sensing Applications: A Review , 2021, Coatings.

[9]  M. Hakkarainen,et al.  Carbon dot/polymer nanocomposites: From green synthesis to energy, environmental and biomedical applications , 2021 .

[10]  D. Iannazzo,et al.  Graphene Quantum Dots by Eco-Friendly Green Synthesis for Electrochemical Sensing: Recent Advances and Future Perspectives , 2021, Nanomaterials.

[11]  Ting Wang,et al.  One-step synthesis of fluorescent graphene quantum dots as an effective fluorescence probe for vanillin detection , 2021, RSC advances.

[12]  L. Malfatti,et al.  Citric Acid Derived Carbon Dots, the Challenge of Understanding the Synthesis-Structure Relationship , 2020, C.

[13]  Bai Yang,et al.  Carbon Dots: A New Type of Carbon-Based Nanomaterial with Wide Applications , 2020, ACS central science.

[14]  S. Dua,et al.  Synthesis and modulation of the optical properties of carbon quantum dots using microwave radiation , 2020 .

[15]  M. Mojsin,et al.  Graphene quantum dots as singlet oxygen producer or radical quencher - The matter of functionalization with urea/thiourea. , 2020, Materials science & engineering. C, Materials for biological applications.

[16]  Nsibande S. A.,et al.  Development of a turn-on graphene quantum dot-based fluorescent probe for sensing of pyrene in water , 2020, RSC advances.

[17]  N. Tufenkji,et al.  Green Synthesis of High Quantum Yield Carbon Dots from Phenylalanine and Citric Acid: Role of Stoichiometry and Nitrogen Doping , 2020, ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering.

[18]  Jong Won Chung,et al.  Color tunable carbon quantum dots from wasted paper by different solvents for anti-counterfeiting and fluorescent flexible film , 2020 .

[19]  S. Marras,et al.  Carbon dots from citric acid and its intermediates formed by thermal decomposition. , 2019, Chemistry.

[20]  Rajib Bandyopadhyay,et al.  Carbon quantum dots from natural resource: A review , 2018, Materials Today Chemistry.

[21]  Jacek K. Stolarczyk,et al.  Tracking the Source of Carbon Dot Photoluminescence: Aromatic Domains versus Molecular Fluorophores. , 2017, Nano letters.

[22]  Pengchao Wu,et al.  Hydrothermal synthesis of nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots from microcrystalline cellulose for the detection of Fe3+ ions in an acidic environment , 2017 .

[23]  M. M. Ahadian,et al.  New Insight into the Concept of Carbonization Degree in Synthesis of Carbon Dots to Achieve Facile Smartphone Based Sensing Platform , 2017, Scientific Reports.

[24]  S. Uran,et al.  Study of ultraviolet-visible light absorbance of exfoliated graphite forms , 2017 .

[25]  A. Rogach,et al.  Molecular Fluorescence in Citric Acid-Based Carbon Dots , 2017 .

[26]  Yongxin Li,et al.  Fluorescence turn-on sensing of ascorbic acid and alkaline phosphatase activity based on graphene quantum dots , 2016 .

[27]  Fengyu Quan,et al.  Multifunctional N,S co-doped carbon quantum dots with pH- and thermo-dependent switchable fluorescent properties and highly selective detection of glutathione , 2016 .

[28]  E. Reisner,et al.  Solar hydrogen production using carbon quantum dots and a molecular nickel catalyst. , 2015, Journal of the American Chemical Society.

[29]  Serge Kokot,et al.  A rapid and label-free dual detection of Hg (II) and cysteine with the use of fluorescence switching of graphene quantum dots , 2015 .

[30]  Zhigang Chen,et al.  Structural evolution of graphene quantum dots during thermal decomposition of citric acid and the corresponding photoluminescence , 2015 .

[31]  Wenying Li,et al.  A graphene quantum dot-based method for the highly sensitive and selective fluorescence turn on detection of biothiols. , 2014, Talanta.

[32]  Chang Oh Kim,et al.  Size-dependence of Raman scattering from graphene quantum dots: Interplay between shape and thickness , 2013 .

[33]  Guonan Chen,et al.  Blue luminescent graphene quantum dots and graphene oxide prepared by tuning the carbonization degree of citric acid , 2012 .

[34]  Riichiro Saito,et al.  Origin of the Breit-Wigner-Fano lineshape of the tangential G-band feature of metallic carbon nanotubes , 2001 .

[35]  M. Dresselhaus,et al.  ORIGIN OF DISPERSIVE EFFECTS OF THE RAMAN D BAND IN CARBON MATERIALS , 1999 .

[36]  Muhammad Imran,et al.  A state-of-the-art review on carbon quantum dots: Prospective, advances, zebrafish biocompatibility and bioimaging in vivo and bibliometric analysis , 2023, Sustainable Materials and Technologies.

[37]  Martin M. F. Choi,et al.  Characterization and Analytical Separation of Fluorescent Carbon Nanodots , 2017 .