Green synthesis and characterization of carbon dots from Angiopteris evecta (G.Forst.) Hoffm and selective detection of Fe3+ ions

Abstract

Carbon dots are promising nano materials with wide range of applications. In this work, we have presented a green strategy to prepare fluorescent carbon dots using leaf extracts of Angiopteris evecta by a one-step hydrothermal synthetic strategy. Formation of car bon dots was confirmed by the emission of fluorescence on exposure to UV light source. The optical properties of carbon dots were determined by UV–vis spectrophotometer and Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy. The carbon dots were found to have many functional groups on their surface. The synthesised CDs were evaluated for their ability to detect metal ions and they exhibited selective detection of Fe3+ ions in aqueous solution.