Facile and High-yield Synthesis of N-doped Carbon Quantum Dots from Biomass Quinoa Saponin for the Detection of Co2

l-Cysteine-Modified Carbon Dots Derived from Hibiscus rosa-sinensis for Thiram Pesticides Identification on Edible Perilla Leaves

In this work, environmentally friendly fluorescent carbon dots (C-dots) were developed for the purpose of thiram identification in the leaves of perilla plants. Powdered plant petals from Hibiscus rosa-sinensis were hydrothermally combined to create C-dots. Analytical techniques, such as scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, ultraviolet spectroscopy, Fourier transmission infrared spectroscopy, and photoluminescence were employed to examine the properties of C-dots. To enhance their functionality, an l-cysteine dopant was added to the C-dots. Since this process produces highly soluble C-dots in water, it is simple, inexpensive, and safe. The excitation process and the size of the blue luminescent C-dots both affect their photoluminescent activity. Furthermore, thiram in aqueous solutions was effectively identified by using the generated C-dots. Additionally, the ImageJ program was used to measure the colors red, green, and blue. High-resolution TEM (HR-TEM) revealed that the l-cysteine-doped carbon dots had an average particle size of 2.208 nm. Additionally, the lattice fringes observed in the HRTEM image showed a d-spacing of around 0.285 nm, which nearly corresponds to the (100) lattice plane of graphitic carbon. A Raman spectrum study was also performed to investigate the relationship between carbon dots and pesticides in the actual samples. In the end, thiram levels in perilla leaves with nondoped and doped C-dots could be distinguished with 100% accuracy using the constructed partial least-squares discriminant analysis machine learning model. The information gathered therefore demonstrated that the synthetic C-dots successfully and efficiently provide rapid and sensitive detection of hazardous pesticides in edible plant products.

Genetic Analysis of Stripe Rust Resistance in the Chinese Wheat Cultivar Luomai 163

Stripe or yellow rust (YR) caused by Puccinia striiformis tritici (Pst) is an important foliar disease affecting wheat production globally. Resistant varieties are the most economically and environmentally effective way to manage this disease. The common winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivar Luomai 163 exhibited resistance to the Pst races CYR32 and CYR33 at the seedling stage and showed a high level of adult plant resistance in the field. To understand the genetic basis of YR resistance in this cultivar, 142 F5 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from cross Apav#1 × LM163 and both parents were genotyped with the 16K SNP array and bulked segregant analysis sequencing. The analysis detected a major gene, YrLM163, at the seedling stage associated with the 1BL.1RS translocation. Additionally, three genes for resistance at the adult plant stage were detected on chromosome arms 1BL (Lr46/Yr29/Pm39/Sr58), 6BS, and 6BL in Luomai 163, whereas Apav#1 contributed resistance at a quantitative trait locus (QTL) on 2BL. These QTL explained YR disease severity variations ranging from 6.9 to 54.8%. The kompetitive allele-specific PCR (KASP) markers KASP-2BL, KASP-6BS, and KASP-6BL for the three novel loci QYr.hzau-2BL, QYr.hzau-6BS, and QYr.hzau-6BL were developed and validated. QYr.hzau-1BL, QYr.hzau-2BL, and QYr.hzau-6BS showed varying degrees of resistance to YR when present individually or in combination based on genotype and phenotype analysis of a panel of 570 wheat accessions. Six RILs combining resistance alleles of all QTL, showing higher resistance to YR in the field than Luomai 163 with disease severities of 10.7 to 16.0%, are important germplasm resources for breeding programs to develop YR-resistant wheat varieties with good agronomic traits.

Eco-friendly synthesis of Carbon Quantum Dots (CQDs) from hazelnut husk for sensitive Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) detection

In this study, green fluorescent carbon quantum dots (CQDs) with remarkable stability, water solubility, and biocompatibility were synthesized from hazelnut husk (HH) waste material using a novel approach by the pyrolysis method. The optical properties of the synthesized HH-CQDs were characterized by UV-Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy (PL), while their structural properties were characterized using various techniques, including transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). TEM images revealed that HH-CQDs had a spherical shape with diameters ranging from 2 to 10 nm. The fluorescence quantum yield of these CQDs was measured as 0.04. Furthermore, CQDs were very effective at finding aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) using a fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) mechanism, with a clear fluorescence emission peak seen at 451 nm. The photoluminescent properties of CQDs were evaluated under various pH conditions, showing a blue shift and increased fluorescence intensity at pH 9-10, suggesting their potential use in pH-sensitive sensor applications. This study demonstrates the selective and sensitive detection of AFB1 using HH-CQDs, with a strong linear relationship (R² = 0.9936) between fluorescence intensity and AFB1 concentration in the range of 25-250 ppm, and high accuracy in real food samples, including 81.56 % in corn, 98.64 % in milk, and 95.73 % in peanuts. This eco-friendly and cost-effective synthesis method offers a promising alternative for AFB1 detection in food samples by utilizing waste material to create valuable analytical tools.

Lanthanide Functionalized Carbon Quantum Dots for White Light Emission, pH Sensing, and Co (II) Detection

Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) with fluorescence emission have been widely studied for versatile applications, but facile tunability of the spectral properties of CQDs by doping remains to be further explored. Herein, employing lanthanide ion Eu3+ as a dopant and activator, a simple and efficient synthesis route for pure CQDs and Eu-CQDs was demonstrated using N, N-dimethylformamide, oleic acid, and oleylamine as precursors for carbon sources. In comparison, with the popular citric acid precursor, the as-prepared CQDs and Eu-CQDs exhibited an obviously smaller particle size (1.72 ± 0.29 nm) and a more uniform distribution. Through systematic optimization of Eu3+ doping for the Eu-CQD system, colorful light emissions in the visible range were first realized under excitation of ultraviolet (UV) ∼360 nm for promising application of UV-triggered light-emitting diodes. Most interestingly, this Eu-CQD solution with UV-excited colorful light emissions was utilized as a visual pH sensor, experimentally featuring good repeatabilities and stabilities (pH values switching between 7 and 14). Besides, the Eu-CQD solution exhibited highly sensitive detection characteristics for Co (II) ions. Due to the spectral overlapping, the quenching efficiency is as high as 96.3%, and the detection limit is obtained as 0.139 μM, which is much lower than the maximum concentration of Co (II) in the drinking water permitted by WHO. All of these relevant results significantly demonstrate the great potential of lanthanide doping in the multifunctionalization of CQDs for certain emerging applications like lighting, sensing, and detection.

Carbon dots as versatile nanomaterials in sensing and imaging: Efficiency and beyond

Carbon dots (CDs) have emerged as a versatile and promising carbon-based nanomaterial with exceptional optical properties, including tunable emission wavelengths, high quantum yield, and photostability. CDs are appropriate for various applications with many benefits, such as biocompatibility, low toxicity, and simplicity of surface modification. Thanks to their tunable optical properties and great sensitivity, CDs have been used in sensing as fluorescent probes for detecting pH, heavy metal ions, and other analytes. In addition, CDs have demonstrated potential as luminescence converters for white organic light-emitting diodes and light emitters in optoelectronic devices due to their superior optical qualities and exciton-independent emission. CDs have been used for drug administration and bioimaging in the biomedical field due to their biocompatibility, low cytotoxicity, and ease of functionalization. Additionally, due to their stability, efficient charge separation, and low recombination rate, CDs have shown interesting uses in energy systems, such as photocatalysis and energy conversion. This article highlights the growing possibilities and potential of CDs as adaptable nanomaterials in a variety of interdisciplinary areas related to sensing and imaging, at the same time addressing the major challenges involved in the current research and proposing scientific solutions to apply CDs in the development of a super smart society.

Brine available two-dimensional nano-architectonics of fluorescent probe based on phosphate doped ZIF-L for detection of Fe3

Herein, we propose a simple and effective strategy for designing a zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) fluorescent probe with a two-dimensional leaf-like structure. By doping ZIF-L with phosphate, we developed a fluorescent probe for iron (Fe3+) in systems with high salinity. The fluorescence of P-ZIF-L was quenched effectively with the presence of Fe3+. The physicochemical structure, surface morphology, selectivity, stability and composition of the probe were investigated. Under optimized conditions, the fluorescent probe had a detection limit of 0.5 μM. Furthermore, the results that the probe exhibited desirable salt-tolerance and was suitable for determination of Fe3+ in brine water samples with satisfactory results.

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.