Preparation of Biomass-Based Carbon Dots with Aggregation Luminescence Enhancement from Hydrogenated Rosin for Biological Imaging and Detection of Fe3

Silicon-Doped Carbon Dots Crosslinked Carboxymethyl Cellulose Gel: Detection and Adsorption of Fe3

The excessive emission of iron will pollute the environment and harm human health, so the fluorescence detection and adsorption of Fe3+ are of great significance. In the field of water treatment, cellulose-based gels have attracted wide attention due to their excellent properties and environmental friendliness. If carbon dots are used as a crosslinking agent to form a gel with cellulose, it can not only improve mechanical properties but also show good biocompatibility, reactivity, and fluorescence properties. In this study, silicon-doped carbon dots/carboxymethyl cellulose gel (DCG) was successfully prepared by chemically crosslinking biomass-derived silicon-doped carbon dots with carboxymethyl cellulose. The abundant crosslinking points endow the gel with excellent mechanical properties, with a compressive strength reaching 294 kPa. In the experiment on adsorbing Fe3+, the theoretical adsorption capacity reached 125.30 mg/g. The introduction of silicon-doped carbon dots confers the gel with excellent fluorescence properties and a good selective response to Fe3+. It exhibits a good linear relationship within the concentration range of 0-100 mg/L, with a detection limit of 0.6595 mg/L. DCG appears to be a good application prospect in the adsorption and detection of Fe3+.

Biomass-Derived Carbon Dots as Nanoprobes for Smartphone-Paper-Based Assay of Iron and Bioimaging Application

A facile one-step carbonization approach is reported herein for the sustainable hydrothermal synthesis of fluorescent blue nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots (NCQDs) using banana petioles obtained as biomass waste. These NCQDs were used to design a "turn-off" fluorescent probe, which exhibited excellent sensing capability toward the selective detection of micronutrient, Fe3+ ion, with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.21 nM. The turn-off process involves the formation of a nonradiative charge transfer complex via a photoinduced electron transfer process. The sensor showed a linear range from 5 to 200 nM and was used for the estimation of Fe3+ ions in real plant samples. Further, a paper-based assay was developed for the quantitative estimation of Fe3+ with LOD values of 0.47 nM for solution-based assay and 0.94 nM for paper-based assay using a smartphone-based readout for potential on-field applications in precision agriculture. Bioimaging studies on banana leaf cells using NCQDs revealed the selective staining of stomata openings on leaf lamella. Therefore, this work provides a way for the valorization of biomass waste into functional nanomaterials without using any extra chemicals.

Construction of composite films using carbon nanodots for blocking ultraviolet light from the Sun

Carbon nanodots (CNDs) which demonstrate concentration-dependent emission and have a photoluminescence quantum yield of 45% were designed. Transparent CND-containing composite films (CND-films), obtained by combining the CNDs with polyvinyl alcohol in different proportions, were shown to block the UV component of sunlight. Whereas the pure PVA film could not block UV light, the ability of CND-films to block UV light could be adjusted by altering the proportion of CNDs in the film. The larger the proportion of CNDs, the greater the extent of UV blocking. CND-film containing 32 wt% CNDs completely blocked UV light (≤400 nm) from sunlight, without affecting the transmission of visible light (>800 nm). The ability of the CND-films to block the UV component of sunlight was investigated using a commercially available UV-induced color change card, which confirmed that the capacity of the CND-films to block UV light could be adjusted by altering the proportion of CNDs in the film. This study shows that CNDs with concentration-dependent long wavelength emission characteristics can be used as optical barrier units for the preparation of materials to block high-energy short wavelength light.

Facile and Green Synthesis of Highly Fluorescent Carbon Quantum Dots from Water Hyacinth for the Detection of Ferric Iron and Cellular Imaging

Natural biomass is used for facile synthesis of carbon quantum dots (CQDs) with high fluorescence, owing to its abundance, low cost, and eco-friendliness. In this study, a bottom-up hydrothermal method was used to prepare CQDs from water hyacinth (wh) at a constant temperature of 180 °C for 12 h. The synthesized wh-CQDs had uniform size, amorphous graphite structure, high water solubility (containing multiple hydroxyl and carboxyl groups on the surface), excitation light-dependent characteristics, and high photostability. The results showed that the aqueous solution of CQDs could detect Fe³⁺ rapidly, sensitively, and highly selectively with a detection limit of 0.084 μM in the linear range of 0–330 μM, which is much lower than the detection limit of 0.77 μM specified by the World Health Organization. More importantly, because the wh-CQDs were synthesized without any additives, they exhibited low toxicity to Klebsiella sp. cells even at high concentrations. Moreover, wh-CQDs emitted bright blue fluorescence in Klebsiella sp. cells, indicating its strong penetrating ability. Correspondingly, the fluorescent cell sorting results also revealed that the proportion of cell internalization reached 41.78%. In this study, wh-CQDs derived from natural biomass were used as high-performance fluorescent probes for Fe³⁺ detection and Klebsiella sp. imaging. This study is expected to have great significance for the application of biomass carbon spots in the field of cellular imaging and biology.

The Bioactivity of Scutellariae Radix Carbonisata-Derived Carbon Dots: Antiallergic Effect

Chinese medicine is a treasure of the Chinese nation, and charcoal drugs are a class of medicine with distinctive characteristics. Scutellariae Radix Carbonisata (SRC) could be a sort of calcined herb medicate that has been utilized in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) clinics to treat hypersensitivities. However, to date, the function of the carbonized part and action mechanisms of SRCs have not been elucidated. In this study, novel water-soluble carbon dots (CDs, named SRC-CDs) ranging from 2 to 9 nm were observed and separated from aqueous extracts of SRC. These SRC-CDs were characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-resolution TEM, as well as Fourier transform infrared, ultraviolet-visible, and fluorescence spectroscopy, to determine particle size, morphology, chemical structure, and optical properties. Then, the in vitro antiallergic efficacy of the SRC-CDs was studied in a C48/80-induced RBL-2H3 cell model, in which remarkable antiallergic effects were revealed. These results will provide new solution directions and technical methods for follow-up research of charcoal drugs and new understanding of potential biomedical applications of CDs.

Natural Carbon Nanodots: Toxicity Assessment and Theranostic Biological Application

This review outlines the methods for preparing carbon dots (CDs) from various natural resources to select the process to produce CDs with the best biological application efficacy. The oxidative activity of CDs mainly involves photo-induced cell damage and the destruction of biofilm matrices through the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), thereby causing cell auto-apoptosis. Recent research has found that CDs derived from organic carbon sources can treat cancer cells as effectively as conventional drugs without causing damage to normal cells. CDs obtained by heating a natural carbon source inherit properties similar to the carbon source from which they are derived. Importantly, these characteristics can be exploited to perform non-invasive targeted therapy on human cancers, avoiding the harm caused to the human body by conventional treatments. CDs are attractive for large-scale clinical applications. Water, herbs, plants, and probiotics are ideal carbon-containing sources that can be used to synthesize therapeutic and diagnostic CDs that have become the focus of attention due to their excellent light stability, fluorescence, good biocompatibility, and low toxicity. They can be applied as biosensors, bioimaging, diagnosis, and treatment applications. These advantages make CDs attractive for large-scale clinical application, providing new technologies and methods for disease occurrence, diagnosis, and treatment research.

Preparation of Multifunctional N-Doped Carbon Quantum Dots from Citrus clementina Peel: Investigating Targeted Pharmacological Activities and the Potential Application for Fe3+ Sensing

Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) have recently emerged as innovative theranostic nanomaterials, enabling fast and effective diagnosis and treatment. In this study, a facile hydrothermal approach for N-doped biomass-derived CQDs preparation from Citrus clementina peel and amino acids glycine (Gly) and arginine (Arg) has been presented. The gradual increase in the N-dopant (amino acids) nitrogen content increased the quantum yield of synthesized CQDs. The prepared CQDs exhibited good biocompatibility, stability in aqueous, and high ionic strength media, similar optical properties, while differences were observed regarding the structural and chemical diversity, and biological and antioxidant activity. The antiproliferative effect of CQD@Gly against pancreatic cancer cell lines (CFPAC-1) was observed. At the same time, CQD@Arg has demonstrated the highest quantum yield and antioxidant activity by DPPH scavenging radical method of 81.39 ± 0.39% and has been further used for the ion sensing and cellular imaging of cancer cells. The obtained results have demonstrated selective response toward Fe³⁺ detection, with linear response ranging from 7.0 µmol dm⁻³ to 50.0 µmol dm⁻³ with R² = 0.9931 and limit of detection (LOD) of 4.57 ± 0.27 µmol dm⁻³. This research could be a good example of sustainable biomass waste utilization with potential for biomedical analysis and ion sensing applications.

Chlorine Modulation Fluorescent Performance of Seaweed-Derived Graphene Quantum Dots for Long-Wavelength Excitation Cell-Imaging Application

Biological imaging is an essential means of disease diagnosis. However, semiconductor quantum dots that are used in bioimaging applications comprise toxic metal elements that are nonbiodegradable, causing serious environmental problems. Herein, we developed a novel ecofriendly solvothermal method that uses ethanol as a solvent and doping with chlorine atoms to prepare highly fluorescent graphene quantum dots (GQDs) from seaweed. The GQDs doped with chlorine atoms exhibit high-intensity white fluorescence. Thus, their preliminary application in bioimaging has been confirmed. In addition, clear cell imaging could be performed at an excitation wavelength of 633 nm.

Microwave-assisted green synthesis of fluorescent carbon quantum dots from Mexican Mint extract for Fe3+ detection and bio-imaging applications

Biomass-derived carbon quantum dots have drawn special interest owing to their admirable photostability, biocompatibility, fluorescence, high solubility, sensitivity and environmentally friendly properties. In the present work, the Carbon Quantum Dots (CQDs) was synthesized from the Plectranthus amboinicus (Mexican Mint) leaves via the microwave-assisted reflux method. The strong absorption peaks observed from UV-vis spectra at 291 and 330 nm corresponds to the π-π* and n-π* transitions, respectively, reveal the formation of CQDs. The synthesized CQDs showed bright blue fluorescence under UV irradiation with a fluorescence quantum yield of 17% and a maximum emission of 436 nm in the blue region at an excitation wavelength of 340 nm. The HRTEM analysis elucidates that the synthesized CQDs were crystalline and spherical in shape with a particle size of 2.43 ± 0.02 nm. The FT-IR spectroscopy confirms the presence of the different functional groups such as -OH, -CH, CO and C-O. The chemical composition of CQD was revealed through XPS analysis. The synthesized CQDs were used as a fluorescent probe to detect different metal ions, where high selectivity was obtained for Fe³⁺ ions through quenching phenomenon. The emission intensity of CQD showed a good linear relationship with R² = 0.9111 with the concentration of Fe³⁺ ions in the range of 0-15 μM. The fluorescence emission of CQD was turned OFF upon the binding of Fe³⁺ ions and turned - ON with the addition of ascorbic acid. With this fluorescent turn ON-OFF behaviour of CQD, the NOT and IMPLICATION logic gates were constructed and studied for different input conditions. The biocompatibility of CQD was tested via MTT assay using MCF7 breast cancer cell line, which revealed that CQD synthesized from the Mexican Mint leaves possess less cytotoxicity. Further, the prepared CQD was applied effectively as fluorescent probes in a cell imaging application.

Leftover Kiwi Fruit Peel-Derived Carbon Dots as a Highly Selective Fluorescent Sensor for Detection of Ferric Ion

Recently, the use of natural products for the synthesis of carbon dots (CDs) has received much attention. Herein, leftover kiwi (Actinidia Deliciosa) fruit peels were successfully turned into beneficial fluorescent carbon dots (KN-CDs) via the hydrothermal-carbonization route. KN-CDs 1 and KN-CDs 2 were prepared without and with ammonium hydroxide, respectively. KN-CDs 1 and KN-CDs 2 were systematically characterized by various analytical techniques. Synthesized KN-CDs showed spherical-shaped morphology with narrow size distribution and excellent optical properties with excitation-independent behaviors. The quantum yields of KN-CDs 1 and KN-CDs 2 were calculated as 14 and 19%, respectively. Additionally, the KN-CDs possess excellent prolonging and photostability. Because of the excellent optical properties of KN-CDs, they were utilized as fluorescent sensors. The strong fluorescence of the KN-CDs was selectively quenched by Fe3+ ion, and quenching behavior showed a linear correlation with the concentrations of Fe3+ ion. KN-CDs 1 and KN-CDs 2 showed the detection of Fe3+ ions within the concentration range of 5–25 µM with the detection limit of 0.95 and 0.85 µM, respectively. Based on the turn-off sensing by the detection of Fe3+ ions, KN-CDs would be a promising candidate as a selective and sensitive fluorescent sensor.

Synthesis of fluorescent terbium-based metal-organic framework for quantitative detection of nitrite and ferric ions in water samples

Through a solvothermal reaction between the corresponding lanthanide(III) nitrate, 1,10 o-phenanthroline and pyridine 3,5-dicarboxylic acid ligands, a novel two-dimensional terbium-based metal-organic framework (Tb-MOF), named {Tb₂O_0.5(C₁₂H₈N₂)₂(C₇H₃NO₄)₃(H₂O)_2.75}_n (1) with strong fluorescence was synthesized by hydrothermal method. The single crystal structure and phase purity of the as-synthesized Tb-MOF were verified by single crystal X-ray diffraction. Subsequently, some studies on the morphology, structure, and optical properties of the compound were carried out. The results show that the synthesized Tb-MOF (1) can be used for the fluorescence sensing of nitrite and ferric ions. Simultaneously, the as-synthesized crystal structure offers good chemical stability in different environments, such as common organic solvents, solutions with a wide pH range, and aqueous solutions of metal ions. Besides, it has good chemical stability in a certain temperature range. In addition, a detection method for nitrite and iron ions was established based on the principle of fluorescence quenching of Tb-MOF by the analytical target, showing good recovery and precision. The proposed method provides a reliable new method for detecting nitrite and ferric ions concentrations in actual water samples.