Elsevier

Materials Science and Engineering: C

Volume 69, 1 December 2016, Pages 914-921
Materials Science and Engineering: C

Blue photoluminescent carbon nanodots from limeade

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msec.2016.07.075Get rights and content

Highlights

  • Photoluminescent carbon nanodots are synthesized from limeade.

  • The quantum yield of lime carbon nanodots is higher than 50%.

  • The lime carbon nanodots can be applied for detecting of Fe3 + ions and for imaging living yeast cells.

Abstract

Carbon-based photoluminescent nanodot has currently been one of the promising materials for various applications. The remaining challenges are the carbon sources and the simple synthetic processes that enhance the quantum yield, photostability and biocompatibility of the nanodots. In this work, the synthesis of blue photoluminescent carbon nanodots from limeade via a single-step hydrothermal carbonization process is presented. Lime carbon nanodot (L-CnD), whose the quantum yield exceeding 50% for the 490 nm emission in gram-scale amounts, has the structure of graphene core functionalized with the oxygen functional groups. The micron-sized flake of the as-prepared L-CnD powder exhibits multicolor emission depending on an excitation wavelength. The L-CnDs are demonstrated for rapidly ferric-ion (Fe3 +) detection in water compared to Fe2 +, Cu2 +, Co2 +, Zn2 +, Mn2 + and Ni2 + ions. The photoluminescence quenching of L-CnD solution under UV light is used to distinguish the Fe3 + ions from others by naked eyes as low concentration as 100 μM. Additionally, L-CnDs provide exceptional photostability and biocompatibility for imaging yeast cell morphology. Changes in morphology of living yeast cells, i.e. cell shape variation, and budding, can be observed in a minute-period until more than an hour without the photoluminescent intensity loss.

Keywords

Blue photoluminescence
Carbon nanodots
Hydrothermal carbonization
Ferric-ion detection
Cell imaging

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