Hydrophobic Carbon Dots Derived from Organic Pollutants and Applications in NIR Anticounterfeiting and Bioimaging

Abstract

In an effort to fulfill the strategy of sustainable development, Rhodamine B, a common and toxic organic pollutant in the textile industry, was reported for the first time as a single precursor to develop a kind of novel hydrophobic nitrogen-doped carbon dot (HNCD) through a green and facile one-pot solvothermal method. The HNCDs with an average size of 3.6 nm possess left and right water contact angles of 109.56°and 110.34°, respectively. The HNCDs manifest excitation wavelengthtunable and upconverted fluorescence from the ultraviolet (UV) to the near-infrared (NIR) range. Furthermore, the PEGylation of HNCDs enables them to be used as an optical marker for cell and in vivo imaging. Notably, the HNCDs with solvent-dependent fluorescence can be used for invisible inks with a wide range of light responses from UV−vis−NIR spectra. This work not only provides an innovative way to recycle chemical waste but also expands the potential application of HNCDs in NIR security printing and bioimaging.

Biocompatible Red Blood Membrane-Carbon Dot Hybrids for Near-Infrared Imaging-Guided Chemotherapy

“…The slight decrease in the size distribution of RBM (6.2 μm) should be attributed to the leaking of hemoglobin from RBC (6.5 μm) due to the osmotic imbalance (Figure S1). In the second step, the RBM dispersed in ethanol was mixed with hydrophobic CDs that was prepared using Rhodamine B as the precursor (Figures S2 and S3). After being sufficiently stirred, the CDs could be successfully loaded into the RBM, confirmed by Figure d.…”

Amphiphilic acetylacetone-based carbon dots

“…For example, hydrophobic CDs were prepared by hot-injection method from melted Paraplast granules injected in toluene and stabilized with dodecanethiol. 10 In another study, 17 hydrophobic CDs were prepared from rhodamine B and then functionalized with polyethylene glycol (PEG) to increase their solubility in polar media. By refluxing dodecylamine in chlorobenzene, hydrophobic blue-emissive CDs with the PL quantum yield (QY) reaching 10% were made; 16 these CDs could be easily mixed with polymers such as poly(methyl methacrylate) and polydimethylsiloxane.…”

“…19 The amphiphilicity of CDs can be introduced via post-synthetic surface modification with long hydrophobic chain epoxides or acrylamides, as was recently shown in a study by Chen et al 20 Another example is the synthesis of CDs in acetone, which mixes well with both polar and non-polar solvents. 14 For most of the reported hydrophobic or amphiphilic CDs, 10,16,17,20–25 the PL bands experienced shifts with the change in polarity of the medium. This is commonly referred to as solvatochromism, and their PL QYs did not exceed the value of 33%.…”

Bioinspired Carbon Dots-Based Fluorescent Sensor for the Selective Determination of a Potent Anti-Inflammatory Drug in the Presence of Its Photodegradation Products

“…So, it is important to construct an ecofriendly, rapid, selective, sensitive, and cost-effective fluorescent probe to determine KETO in the presence of its different interferents, including its photocatalytic degradation products, to further enable monitoring KETO stability in different pharmaceuticals in addition to investigating its complete elimination from the aquatic ecosystems via different photocatalytic reagents. Owing to its simplicity, high sensitivity, and low cost, CDs-based probes have become the magic star for the analysis of many drugs in different matrices, − in addition to their application in the bioimaging field as a biocompatible and cost-effective alternative to the classical quantum dots including graphene quantum dots …”