Turning date palm fronds into biocompatible mesoporous fluorescent carbon dots

Abstract

Here, we demonstrate the synthesis of mesoporous carbon dots (Cdot) from date palm fronds and their excellent excitation wavelength-independent photoluminescence (PL), with high photo- and storage-stability, superior biocompatibility and thermal and electrical conductivity for the first-time by a simple, green, one-step carbonization method. Interestingly, the as-obtained Cdot manifest the spherical shape of about 50 nm average diameter having surface mesopores of size less than 10 nm with sp2 hybridized carbon. The as-synthesised mesoporous Cdot, first of its kind, evince yellow-green PL (preferred over blue PL for biological applications) around 450 nm under excitation wavelength range of 320–420 nm with absolute quantum yield of 33.7% exhibiting high photo- and storage-stability. The thermal and electrical conductivity of Cdot/water nanofluids without any surfactants is illustrated. Application of Cdot as interfacial material in organic photovoltaic cell is manifested. The Cdot exhib visible sunlight driven photocatalytic and antibacterial activity. Mesoporous Cdot further reveal excellent biocompatibility with fibroblast cell (greater than 95% viability). The novelty of this study in the formation of multifunctional mesoporous Cdot from date palm fronds could inspire both research and industrial interests in the synthesis of biomass-derived Cdot and their application in a wide array of fields.

Phytochemical properties and antioxidant activity of Echinops persicus plant extract: green synthesis of carbon quantum dots from the plant extract

“…Almost the same spectra were observed for all of the sources. A broad peak at ~ 3300 cm −1 was related to hydroxyl groups stretching vibrations [26,27]. A peak appeared at ~ 2930 cm −1 represent the C-H stretching bond as a main characteristic bond for CQDs [50].…”

“…For example, CQDs prepared by chitosan (as a precursor) are used in the manufacture of electronic devices [25]. Quantum dots synthesized using glucose and tree date palm are other examples of green synthesis of CQDs that have been used for the biological imaging in the body of living things [26] and luminous diodes respectively [27]. Recently, Yang et al, reported the preparation of high-fluorescence-doped quantum dots from glucose and showed their application in the detection of cancer cells in mice [28].…”

Carbon Nanodots in Photodynamic Antimicrobial Therapy: A Review

“…Although many of the aforementioned synthesis methods can be found in the literature, hydrothermal treatment in either a top-down or bottom-up regime is most commonly employed. In particular, this method is favored amongst reports of carbon dot “green syntheses” from biomass, or natural precursors [ 17 , 22 , 48 , 49 ].…”

“…In addition to the antibacterial effects that will be discussed in the subsequent section, ROS detected from carbon dots and related graphene quantum dots have also been noted to cause lipid peroxidation [ 25 ], depletion of antioxidants in cells [ 25 ], and even to a degree dye degradation [ 49 ]. The secondary effects of ROS generated by carbon dots remain to be further elucidated and should persist as a consideration from both a fundamental and experimental perspective for future carbon dot APDT investigations.…”

Efficient removal of Cu(ii) from aqueous systems using enhanced quantum yield nitrogen-doped carbon nanodots

“…[16][17][18][19][20] In this regard, various carbon-rich resources have been employed as single precursors for the production of CDs. [21][22][23] However, the latter show weaker PL compared to those from dual precursors. Doping CDs with non-metal moieties such as N dopants has been considered as the most promising approach to QY enhancement by tuning the upward shi of the Fermi level.…”