This
work demonstrates the development of a pH-responsive smart
drug delivery system. Herein, we fabricated a hybrid cotton patch
nanocomposite incorporated with jute carbon dots to carry out the
drug release study. Notably, jute was used for the first time as a
precursor in synthesizing fluorescent carbon dots and water was used
as the dispersion medium. A herbal formulation neem leaf (Azadirachta indica) extract was taken as the model
drug to exemplify the release study. It was found that the hybrid
jute carbon dot-cotton patch showed two distinct release profiles
at pH 5 and 7, where the release shown to be higher at pH 5 than at
pH 7. In cases where, due to the growth of pathogenic bacterial infection
around the cut/wound region, the pH gets lowered, this enhanced release
of the drug from the fabricated patch at pH 5 will be desirable. Mechanistic
interpretations are discussed in order to understand the underlying
drug release behavior of the cotton patch. Besides, different characterization
techniques such as FTIR spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA),
tensile measurement, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were taken
to study the physicochemical properties of the patch. The development
of such a stimuli-responsive behavior of hybrid cotton patch would
pave the way for utilizing systems as smart wound-dressing material
using sustainable materials like jute and cotton.
Dual emission carbon dots have a high potential for use as fluorescence-based sensors with higher selectivity and sensitivity. This study demonstrated the possibility of conversion of a biological molecular system with a single emission peak to a double emission carbon dots system. This report is the first to describe the synthesis of dual emission carbon dots by tuning the electronic environment of a conjugated system.Here we prepared carbon dots from a natural extract, from which carotenoids were used as a new source for carbon dots. Formation of the carbon dots was confirmed by images obtained under a transmission electron microscope as well as from a dynamic light scattering study. The prepared carbon dots system was characterized and its optical property was monitored. The study showed that, after irradiation with microwaves, the fluorescence intensity of the whole system changed, without any change in the original peak position of the carotenoid but with the appearance of an additional peak. A Fourier transform infrared study confirmed breaking of the conjugated system. When using ethylene glycol as a surface passivating agent added to these carotenoid carbon dots, the dual emission spectra became more distinct.
It
is of utmost importance to detect hazardous chemicals that affect
human health. In this work, a simple method has been developed using
a traditional medicinal herb Aloe vera as a carbon source to fabricate a nano-bioconjugate film. The nano-bioconjugate
system comprises of A. vera gel itself
and sodium alginate to form a fluorescent nano-bioconjugate film.
The film was successfully used as an optical “turn-off”
sensor in detecting analytes viz. para-Aminobenzoic
acid (PABA), benzophenone, hydroquinone, and propylparaben, which
are used in cosmetics and are listed as “red-listed”
chemicals. The applicability of the fluorescent film in detecting
these hazardous chemicals was even assessed with some locally purchased
cosmetic samples. Mechanistic insight into the fluorescent quenching
shown by nano-bioconjugate film is also discussed. Developments of
such a detection system from sustainable sources make it an interesting
option for fabricating sensors for hazardous chemicals.
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