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Synthesis and characterization of Indian essential oil Carbon Dots for interdisciplinary applications

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Abstract

In the present study Carbon Dots (CDs) derived from Indian essential oils Clove (Eugenia caryophyllata), Basil (Ocimum basilicium), Turmeric (Curcuma longa) and Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) have been synthesized and characterized for their potential exquisite applications. The CD nanoscale particles were synthesized using simple green pyrolysis method without engaging external agents. The particles were well below 10 nm in size and showed activities unparallel to that of conventional CDs. Spectroscopy techniques viz. UV-Visible, Fluorescence, FT-IR, TEM were employed for the characterization of CDs while biological activity was tested on sliced bread and spinach (Spinacia oleracea). Further, human MCF-7 cell line was used to study the antiproliferative effects of the CDs in vitro. Our CDs formulation exhibit variable fungal activity and excellent growth retarding potential in addition to their antiproliferative effect. The low cost, ease of synthesis and superior properties of these CDs synthesized from Indian essential oils may represent as a viable and true contender to their traditional counterparts. On a concluding note, this work also highlights the future prospects of the potential use of CDs based nanoparticles and their unpopular characteristics.

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Acknowledgements

Special acknowledgements to the Central Instrumentation Facility, BIT Mesra, and DST-FIST Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) Facility, IISER, Kolkata for the experimental facilities.

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  1. Department of Chemistry, Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi, 835215, India

    Vishal Rimal, Shubham Shishodia & Prem Kumar Srivastava

  2. Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata, Mohanpur, Nadia, Kolkata, West Bengal, 741246, India

    Subhadeep Gupta & Amirul Islam Mallick

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  1. Vishal Rimal
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  2. Shubham Shishodia
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Correspondence to Prem Kumar Srivastava.

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Rimal, V., Shishodia, S., Srivastava, P.K. et al. Synthesis and characterization of Indian essential oil Carbon Dots for interdisciplinary applications. Appl Nanosci 11, 1225–1239 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13204-021-01737-3

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