Abstract
Renewable biowaste-derived carbon dots have garnered immense interest owing to their exceptional optical, fluorescence, chemical, and environmentally friendly attributes, which have been exploited for the detection of metals, non-metals, and organics in the environment. In the present study, water-soluble fluorescent carbon dots (CDs) were synthesized via facile green microwave pyrolysis of pine-cone biomass as precursors, without any chemical additives. The synthesized fluorescent pine-cone carbon dots (PC-CDs) were spherical in shape with a bimodal particle-size distribution (average diameters of 15.2 nm and 42.1 nm) and a broad absorption band of between 280 and 350 nm, attributed to a π-π* and n-π* transition. The synthesized PC-CDs exhibited the highest fluorescent (FL) intensity at an excitation wavelength of 360 nm, with maximum emission of 430 nm. The synthesized PC-CDs were an excellent fluorescent probe for the selective detection of Cu2+ in aqueous solution, amidst the presence of other metal ions. The FL intensity of PC-CDs was exceptionally quenched in the presence of Cu2+ ions, with a low detection limit of 0.005 μg/mL; this was largely ascribed to Cu2+ ion binding interactions with the enriched surface functional groups on the PC-CDs. As-synthesized PC-CDs are an excellent, cost effective, and sensitive probe for detecting and monitoring Cu2+ metal ions in wastewater.
Highlights
Elevated levels of heavy metals in surface and ground water have been reported by many researchers, and are attributed to their increased presence in industrial effluents, increased mining activities, and spontaneous natural and man-made activities [1,2]
The current study focuses on the synthesis of water-soluble highly fluorescent pinecone carbon dots (PC-CDs), using a one-step green microwave pyrolysis method without any chemical additives or passivating agents in the preparation approach (Scheme 1)
The synthesized pine-cone carbon dots (PC-CDs) had a bimodal distribution with average sizes of
Summary
Elevated levels of heavy metals in surface and ground water have been reported by many researchers, and are attributed to their increased presence in industrial effluents, increased mining activities, and spontaneous natural and man-made activities [1,2]. One heavy metal of interest is Copper (Cu2+ ), which is known to accumulate in fish (especially the gills, causing mortality through respiratory disruption) [3–5], bacteria, and viruses [6]. The permitted Cu2+ level in normal human blood is typically between 1–1.5 μg/mL [11]. For these reasons, it is necessary to develop an efficient, highly sensitive, and selective method for the detection very low concentrations of Cu2+ in the environment
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