Carbon Dots-Doped Electrospun Fibers for Simultaneous Metal Ion Detection and Adsorption of Dyes

Abstract

The required treatment and monitoring of contaminants in wastewater reinforces the development of low-cost adsorbents/chemosensors, introducing advantages relative to the detection/removal of toxic metals and dyes. Herein, it is reported a two-step process of fabrication of fluorescent carbon dots via the hydrothermal treatment of amino acids for the following encapsulation in electrospun fibers. The prominent anionic behavior of electrospun fibers of Eudragit L100 was explored for adsorption of cationic dyes (methylene blue and crystal violet)—with the prevailing electrostatic interaction of parts being favored by the formation of monolayers on the surface of adsorbents. On the other hand, the controlled release of carbon dots (CDs) from fibers to the reactor can be explored for a second application: the nitrogen ligands from released glycine-based carbon dots can be explored to indicate the presence of metal ions in aqueous solution. Our experiment resulted in a quenching in the fluorescence of the CDs in order of 90% in the emission of particles in the response of the presence of Fe3+ ions, characterizing a promising perspective for this experimental system.