Structural and morphological characterization of hydrothermally synthesized N-Carbon Dot @ Fe3O4 composites for heavy metal ion detection

Abstract

Heavy Metal-ion contamination is one of the most serious issues facing day-to-day life. To address this issue, sensing and removal of heavy metal ions in contaminated water become indispensable. Carbon Dots are hydrophilic in nature with magnificent electron acceptor and electron donator and hence it has been used as fluorescent probes for sensing applications. The present study deals with the synthesis of N-Carbon Dot (N-CD) @ Fe3O4 composite which was successfully fabricated via the hydrothermal method. The surface structure and morphology of the synthesized composite were characterized using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The elemental analysis of a sample was characterized using Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS). Further, the phase occurrence and the molecular vibration were analysed using XRD and Fourier Transform Infra-Red Spectroscopy (FTIR). Finally, the optical studies were measured using Ultraviolet–visible Spectroscopy (UV– Vis) and Photoluminescence Spectroscopy (PL). The prepared composite exhibited noticeable fluorescence properties and has promising potential for the detection and removal of toxic heavy metal ions in water.