Facile synthesis of carbon dots using tender coconut water for the fluorescence detection of heavy metal ions

Abstract

Carbon dots are advanced functional materials having potential application in various fields like bio-imaging, sensing, 3D printing, optronics etc. due to its attractive physical -chemical properties and tunable fluorescence activity. In this work we focus on the development of Carbon Dots (Cdots) from tender coconut water by a green synthetic strategy. The greenish yellow fluorescent Cdots were characterized by various techniques and were effectively utilized for the fluorescence detection of Zn2 + by using On-Off mechanism. The antibacterial activity of the developed C dots was also examined. An easy and economical Carbon dot sensor was developed for the detection of heavy metal ions in the aqueous solution which suggests its great potential for various chemical and biological analytical applications.