Functionalized Carbon Nanodots Research Articles

Multiplex Portable Biosensor for Bacteria Detection.

An advanced, cost-effective, and portable DNA biosensor capable of detecting multiple bacteria simultaneously has been developed. The biosensor comprises a fast and inexpensive potentiostat that controls the applied potential to a screen-printed electrochemical array platform functionalized with MoS2 flakes and bacterial DNA probes. The current response obtained by à la carte thionine functionalized carbon nanodots (Ty-CDs) is monitored as an electrochemical indicator of the hybridization event. The design of the potentiostat prioritizes achieving an optimal signal-to-noise ratio and incorporates a user-friendly interface compatible with various devices, including computers, mobile phones, and tablets. The device is compact, lightweight, and manufactured at a low cost. The key components of the potentiostat include a data acquisition board capable of analyzing multiple samples simultaneously and a controller board. The results of this study confirm the ability of the multiplex portable biosensor to successfully detect specific bacterial DNA sequences, demonstrating its reliability and superior performance compared with a traditional, more complex, and laboratory-oriented potentiostat.

Hydrothermal Synthesis of Functionalized Carbon Nanodots and Their Clusters as Ionic Probe for High Sensitivity and Selectivity for Sulfate Anions with Excellent Detection Level.

Nitrogen-doped carbon nanodots (CNDs) were synthesized and utilized as sensing probes to detect different anions and metallic ions within aqueous solutions. The pristine CNDs were developed through a one-pot hydrothermal synthesis. o-Phenylenediamine was used as the precursor. A similar hydrothermal synthesis technique in the presence of polyethylene glycol (PEG) was adopted to form the PEG-coated CND clusters (CND-100k). Through photoluminescence (PL) quenching, both CND and PEG-coated CND suspensions display ultra-high sensitivity and selectivity towards HSO4- anions (Stern-Volmer quenching constant (KSV) value: 0.021 ppm-1 for CND and 0.062 ppm-1 for CND-100k) with an ultra-low detection limit (LOD value: 0.57 ppm for the CND and 0.19 ppm for CND-100k) in the liquid phase. The quenching mechanism of N-doped CNDs towards HSO4- ions involves forming the bidentate as well as the monodentate hydrogen bonding with the sulfate anionic moieties. The detection mechanism of metallic ions analyzed through the Stern-Volmer formulation reveals that the CND suspension is well suited for the detection of Fe3+ (KSV value: 0.043 ppm-1) and Fe2+ (KSV value: 0.0191 ppm-1) ions, whereas Hg2+ (KSV value: 0.078 ppm-1) sensing can be precisely performed by the PEG-coated CND clusters. Accordingly, the CND suspensions developed in this work can be employed as high-performance PL probes for detecting various anions and metallic ions in the liquid phase.

Biomass derived nitrogen functionalized carbon nanodots for nanomolar determination of levofloxacin in pharmaceutical and water samples.

Binder-free and efficient electrochemical sensing of levofloxacin (LF) was successfully developed based on the nitrogen-doped carbon nanodots (NCNDs). The NCNDs were synthesized by hydrothermal carbonation (180°C for 12 h), and the heteroatom was embedded in aqueous solution of ammonia (NH3). Spectral and microscopic characteristization techniques were used to analyze the topological, crystallinity, and chemical binding behavior of synthesized biomass functional material. HR-TEM image revealed a uniform spherical dot (2.96 nm), and superior quantum yield efficiency (0.42 Φ). The NCNDs was drop coated on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) and electrochemical sensing of LF was performedby cyclic voltammetry (CV), differential pulse voltammetry (DPV), and amperometric i-t curve in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS; pH = 7.0). The NCNDs modified electrode showed a sharp oxidation peak at +0.95 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) with a four-fold higher current response than the bareGC electrode. The NCNDs/GCE surface not only increases the current response, but has lower detection potential, and facilitates electron transfer reaction. Under optimized working parameters, the NCNDs/GCE showed wide linear concentrations rangefrom 200 nM to 2.8 mM and a low detection limit (LOD) of 48.26 nM (S/N = 3). The electrode modified with NCNDs has high electrochemical sensing stability (RSD = 1.284 ± 0.05% over 5 days), and superior reproducibility (RSD = 1.682 ± 0.06% (n = 3)). Finally, theNCNDs modified GC electrode was successfully applied to quantify the concentration of LF in drug and river water samples with acceptable recovery percentages of 96.60-99.20% and 97.20-99.00% (n=3), respectively.

Eco-Friendly Synthesis of Functionalized Carbon Nanodots from Cashew Nut Skin Waste for Bioimaging

In this study, Anacardium occidentale (A. occidentale) nut skin waste (cashew nut skin waste) was used as a raw material to synthesize functionalized carbon nanodots (F-CNDs). A. occidentale biomass-derived F-CNDs were synthesized at a low temperature (200 °C) using a facile, economical hydrothermal method and subjected to XRD, FESEM, TEM, HRTEM, XPS, Raman Spectroscopy, ATR-FTIR, and Ultraviolet-visible (UV–vis) absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy to determine their structures, chemical compositions, and optical properties. The analysis revealed that dispersed, hydrophilic F-CNDs had a mean diameter of 2.5 nm. XPS and ATR-FTIR showed F-CNDs had a crystalline core and an amorphous surface decorated with –NH2, –COOH, and C=O. In addition, F-CNDs had a quantum yield of 15.5% and exhibited fluorescence with maximum emission at 406 nm when excited at 340 nm. Human colon cancer (HCT-116) cell assays showed that F-CNDs readily penetrated into the cells, had outstanding biocompatibility, high photostability, and minimal toxicity. An MTT assay showed that the viability of HCT-116 cells incubated for 24 h in the presence of F-CNDs (200 μg mL–1) exceeded 95%. Furthermore, when stimulated by filters of three different wavelengths (405, 488, and 555 nm) under a laser scanning confocal microscope, HCT-116 cells containing F-CNDs emitted blue, red, and green, respectively, which suggests F-CNDs might be useful in the biomedical field. Thus, we describe the production of a fluorescent nanoprobe from cashew nut waste potentially suitable for bioimaging applications.

Tungsten(VI) oxide as a versatile support for Pd nanocatalysts for alkaline direct alcohol fuel cells

The instability of carbon support materials has motivated the development of metal oxides supports which are stable under the fuel cell environment. In this study, tungsten (VI) oxide (WO3) is utilized as a secondary support and cocatalyst for the electrooxidation of methanol and ethanol. Functionalized carbon nanodots employed as primary supports were blended with WO3 nanoparticles to form a composite support onto which Pd nanoparticles were deposited by a borohydride reduction method. The synthesized Pd/fCNDs-WO3 electrocatalysts were characterized by Transmission Electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. XRD results proved that incorporating WO3 into Pd/fCNDs electrocatalyst shifts the Pd diffraction peaks to lower 2Ɵ value due to lattice relaxation. XPS results revealed that W exist in oxidised form and confirmed the strong interaction between the support material and the catalyst. The Pd/fCNDs-WO3 electrocatalysts exhibited a remarkable catalytic activity towards methanol and ethanol oxidation. High current densities of 87.24 mA cm−2 and 44.23 mA cm−2 were obtained for ethanol and methanol oxidation, respectively, using a catalyst with 2.5% Pd loading. EIS, CA and stability tests revealed that the presence of WO3 in Pd/fCNDs electrocatalyst improves the kinetics, tolerance to poisoning and long-term durability in alkaline conditions. This superior performance is attributed to the electronic coupling between Pd and WO3 nanoparticles.

Functionalized carbon nanotube and carbon nanodot modified multiblock poly(arylene ether ketone sulfone) copolymer as proton exchange composite membranes for fuel cell applications

AbstractThe present study describes the successful synthesis of –COOH functionalized carbon nanodots (f‐CNDs) via pyrolysis of citric acid and 4,4′‐bis(4‐hydroxyphenyl)valeric acid (DPA‐OH, Sigma Aldrich, St. Louis, Missouri, United States) based hydrophilic oligomer at 250 °C. The multiblock copolymers were prepared by a coupling reaction between phenoxide terminated valeric acid based poly(arylene ether ketone) (DPA‐OH) hydrophilic oligomer and decafluorobiphenyl (DFBP, Alfa Aesar, Haverhill, Massachusetts, United States) end‐capped poly(arylene ether sulfone) (BP‐X‐F) hydrophobic oligomers (where X is 6, 9 and 12). Multiblock poly(arylene ether ketone sulfone) copolymer crosslinked membranes were prepared using 6F‐bisphenol‐A based novolac epoxy resin (EFN) and –COOH functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes/functionalized carbon nanodots (f‐MWCNTs/f‐CNDs, Nanoshell company, Utah, U. S) were used for the preparation of acid doped composite membranes for fuel cell applications. From high resolution TEM images, the average size of the prepared f‐CNDs found to be ca 10–12 nm. The N1 multiblock copolymer membrane with loading of 0.9 wt% ratio of CNTs showed better proton exchange membrane related properties such as proton conductivity (0.136 S cm−1), ion exchange capacity (1.18 meq g−1) and selectivity ratio (0.17) compared to the prepared pristine, crosslinked and CND based composite membranes. The overall results revealed that the composite membranes with loading of 0.9 wt% of CNTs and CNDs exhibited a superior combination of fuel cell related properties such as higher proton conductivity, high dimensional and oxidative stability and low methanol permeability and also showed better fuel cell performance compared to the respective pristine and EFN crosslinked membranes. © 2022 Society of Industrial Chemistry.

Carbon nanodots modified-electrode for peroxide-free cholesterol biosensing and biofuel cell design

The determination of cholesterol is greatly important because high concentrations of this biomarker are associated to heart disease. Moreover, cholesterol can be used as a fuel in enzymatic fuel cells operating under physiological conditions. Here, we present a cholesterol biosensor and a peroxide-free biofuel cell based on the electrocatalytic oxidation of the NADH generated during the enzymatic reaction of cholesterol dehydrogenase (ChDH) as an alternative to the H2O2 biosensing strategies used with cholesterol oxidase-bioelectrodes. Azure A functionalized-carbon nanodots were used as NADH oxidation electrocatalysts and for ChDH covalent immobilization. The biosensor responded linearly to cholesterol concentrations up to 1.7 mM with good sensitivity (4.50 mA cm−2 M−1) and at a low potential. The ChDH bioelectrode was combined with an O2-reducing bilirubin oxidase cathode to produce electrical energy using cholesterol as fuel and O2 as oxidant. Furthermore, the resulting enzymatic fuel cell was tested in human serum naturally containing free cholesterol.

Simultaneous Detection of Neurotransmitters Using Carbon Nanomaterials

Glassy carbon electrodes cleaned and electrochemically pretreated in PBS were compared to electrodes modified with carbon black, graphene oxide, and carbon dots in terms of possibility of detection of neurotransmiters. We provide systematic studies regarding the detection of five neurobiologically relevant species: dopamine, serotonin, epinephrine, norepinephrine, and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid on those four types of electrodes. We also evaluated the possibility of simultaneous detection of dopamine and serotonin in the presence of high levels of uric and ascorbic acids.Dopamine and serotonin are easily detected at carbon surfaces but unfortunately at a similar potential. Polymerization of dopamine, resulting in sensitivity loss is another problem, when measurements are carried out in cell culture medium or even in model solutions at physiological pH. Norepinephrine and epinephrine are both products of dopamine metabolism. Their structure includes an o-hydroquinone, which upon oxidation and the transfer of two electrons transforms into o-quinone. Additional chemical reactions may occur resulting in e.g. cyclization of the chain containing the epinephrine’s amino group and subsequent additional quinone-hydroquinone reactions of this product. DOPAC is the product of dopamine deamination. In neutral pH, its oxidation is partially irreversible. As in case of dopamine, side reactions can lead to film formation on the electrode surface. It is considered an interferent in determining dopamine levels.Detection in the presence of acids has proven possible on all three types of electrode modifications, although with different resolution. We evaluated sensitivity in terms of current density per active area of the sensor. In this way graphene oxide exhibited the highest sensitivity towards all tested neurotransmitters, whereas chemically functionalized carbon nanodots significantly increased oxidation peaks’ resolution. A considerable shift of signals towards more negative potentials for epinephrine, norepinephrine, and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid was observed for all modifications as compared with glassy carbon electrodes. Analytical parameters obtained for each type of modification are resumed in Tab. 1 (dopamine), Tab. 2 (serotonin) and Tab.3 (epinephrine and norepinephrine).As shown in this and other works electrode pretreatment has a huge impact on the recorded signal. Thus it is sometimes hard to compare materials tested by different research groups. The same procedure of electrochemical pretreatment was in this work applied to coated and uncoated glassy carbon electrodes. The pretreatment allowed for partial cleaning of polymerized dopamine.Authors would like to thank The National Centre for Research and Development, Poland, for funding under grants LIDER/38/0138/L-9/17/NCBR/2018 and LIDER/33/0117/L-9/17/NCBR/2018. EWN would like to also thank the Foundation for Polish Science (FNP), from which she was supported through START programme and National Science Centre Poland for the MINIATURA grant NCN 2017/01/X/ST4/00463 Figure 1

Methylene Blue functionalized carbon nanodots combined with different shape gold nanostructures for sensitive and selective SARS-CoV-2 sensing

The development of DNA-sensing platforms based on new synthetized Methylene Blue functionalized carbon nanodots combined with different shape gold nanostructures (AuNs), as a new pathway to develop a selective and sensitive methodology for SARS-CoV-2 detection is presented. A mixture of gold nanoparticles and gold nanotriangles have been synthetized to modify disposable electrodes that act as an enhanced nanostructured electrochemical surface for DNA probe immobilization. On the other hand, modified carbon nanodots prepared a la carte to contain Methylene Blue (MB-CDs) are used as electrochemical indicators of the hybridization event. These MB-CDs, due to their structure, are able to interact differently with double and single-stranded DNA molecules. Based on this strategy, target sequences of the SARS-CoV-2 virus have been detected in a straightforward way and rapidly with a detection limit of 2.00 aM. Moreover, this platform allows the detection of the SARS-CoV-2 sequence in the presence of other viruses, and also a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs). The developed approach has been tested directly on RNA obtained from nasopharyngeal samples from COVID-19 patients, avoiding any amplification process. The results agree well with those obtained by RT-qPCR or reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction technique.

Fluorescent sensor array constructed by functionalized carbon nanodots for qualitative and quantitative analysis of urinary organic acids biomarkers

Adequate assessment of the level of organic acids (OA) in human urine is significant for non-invasive diagnosis and monitoring of OA-related diseases. However, the common lock-and-key sampling method for specific OA analysis is dramatically perturbed by the complicated chemical components in urine. A comprehensive qualitative and quantitative analysis of OAs in urine samples remains a significant challenge. Herein, a cross-reactive fluorescent sensor array based on amino acid-functionalized carbon nanodots (CDs) was designed for simultaneous qualitative and quantitative analysis of seven kinds of OAs, including homovanillic acid (HVA), vanillylmandelic acid (VMA), 3-hydroxyisovaleric acid (3-HA), lactic acid (LA), pyruvic acid (PA), glutaric acid (GA), and methylmalonic acid (MMA). The array system can specifically recognize multiple OAs in urine samples over a wide concentrations range (0.1–1000 μM) with 100% accuracy. The wide concentration range and high accuracy of the CD array system for OA analysis depend on a distinct fluorescence response from the differential binding affinity of various OAs to the CDs. The excellent recognition ability and selectivity of the sensing system were further confirmed by the double-blind and interference experiments. The sensor array achieved satisfactory distinguishing effects of separate OAs and binary OA samples (HVA/VMA) in urine samples. In particular, the quantitative analysis of the one-OA system or two-OA system (HVA/VMA) can be realized by the array system. These results confirm that the sensor array based on the CDs is an efficient platform for OA analysis and a convenient tool for the non-invasive diagnosis of OA-related diseases.

A MoS2 platform and thionine-carbon nanodots for sensitive and selective detection of pathogens

This work focuses on the combination of molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) and à la carte functionalized carbon nanodots (CNDs) for the development of DNA biosensors for selective and sensitive detection of pathogens. MoS2 flakes prepared through liquid-phase exfoliation, serves as platform for thiolated DNA probe immobilization, while thionine functionalized carbon nanodots (Thi-CNDs) are used as electrochemical indicator of the hybridization event. Spectroscopic and electrochemical studies confirmed the interaction of Thi-CNDs with DNA. As an illustration of the pathogen biosensor functioning, DNA sequences from InIA gen of Listeria monocytogenes bacteria and open reading frame sequence (ORF1ab) of SARS-CoV-2 virus were detected and quantified with a detection limit of 67.0 fM and 1.01 pM, respectively. Given the paradigmatic selectivity of the DNA hybridization, this approach allows pathogen detection in the presence of other pathogens, demonstrated by the detection of Listeria monocytogenes in presence of Escherichia coli. We note that this design is in principle amenable to any pathogen for which the DNA has been sequenced, including other viruses and bacteria. As example of the application of the method in real samples it has been used to directly detect Listeria monocytogenes in cultures without any DNA Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) amplification process.

Biomass-Derived Nitrogen Functionalized Carbon Nanodots and Their Anti-Biofouling Properties

The prevalence of the antibiotic resistant bacteria remains a global issue. Cheap, sustainable and multifunctional antibacterial membranes are at the forefront of filtrating materials capable of treating multiple flow streams, such as water cleansing treatments. Carbon nanomaterials are particularly interesting objects shown to enhance antibacterial properties of composite materials. In this article, amino-functionalized, photoluminescent carbon nanodots (CNDs) were synthesized from chitosan by bottom-up approach via simple and green hydrothermal carbonization. A chemical model for the CNDs formation during hydrothermal treatment of chitosan is proposed. The use of urea as an additional nitrogen source leads to the consumption of hydroxyl groups of chitosan and higher nitrogen doping level as pyridinic and pyrrolic N-bonding configurations in the final carbonaceous composition. These functionalized carbon nanodots that consist of carbon core and various surface functional groups were used to modify the commercially available membranes in order to enhance their anti-biofouling properties and add possible functionalities, including fluorescent labelling. Incorporation of CNDs to membranes increased their hydrophilicity, surface charge without compromising membranes integrity, thereby increasing the factors affecting bacterial wall disruption. Membranes modified with CNDs effectively stopped the growth of two Gram-negative bacterial colonies: Klebsiella oxytoca (K. oxytoca) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa).

Label-free iodide detection using functionalized carbon nanodots as fluorescent probes.

A label-free fluorescent nanoprobe for iodide ion (I-) detection was developed based on the direct fluorescence quenching of spermine-functionalized carbon dots (SC-dots), whether in complex biological fluids or living cells. The positively charged SC-dots were fabricated via one-step microwave synthesis and exhibited excellent optical properties. Due to the strong quenching ability of I-, SC-dots were utilized for I- detection with high sensitivity and excellent selectivity, which offered a relatively low detection limit of 0.18μM. This strategy was also successfully applied for I- detections in human serum and HeLa cells. The detection process is facile, highly sensitive and selective, providing a new insight into the potential applications of SC-dots for anion nanoprobe designs in clinical diagnosis and other biologically related areas. Graphical abstract.

A boronic acid carbon nanodots/poly(thionine) sensing platform for the accurate and reliable detection of NADH

In this work, a novel electrochemical sensing platform was designed and fabricated by the modification of boronic acid functionalized carbon nanodots (B-CNDs) and poly(thionine) (pTHI) on an electrode surface. B-CNDs can not only accelerate electron transfer but also covalently interact with cis-diol groups of dihydronicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) through functionalized boronic acid groups. Meanwhile, pTHI served as an inner reference element to provide a built-in correction, which enabled the sensor to detect NADH with high accuracy and reliability based on a ratiometric signal (∆INADH/∆ITHI). The electrochemical experimental results demonstrated that the ratiometric strategy-based sensor possessed good selectivity and high sensitivity. A linear range of 5.0 × 10−7 - 2.0 × 10−4 mol/L for NADH detection was obtained with a limit of detection of 1.5 × 10−7 mol/L. The sensor has been applied to analyze NADH in human serum samples with satisfactory results. The simple and effective ratiometric strategy reported here can be further used to prepare electrochemical sensors for selective, sensitive, and reliable detection of other cis-diol compounds.

1,5-Diaminonaphthalene functionalized carbon nanodots as a novel matrix for the analysis of small molecules by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry

1,5-Diaminonaphthalene functionalized carbon nanodots (DAN-CDs) were explored as a matrix for direct detection of small molecules by MALDI-MS in negative-ion mode.

Dual-ligand functionalized carbon nanodots as green fluorescent nanosensors for cellular dual receptor-mediated targeted imaging.

The conjugation of ligands to nanoparticles as drug delivery systems that target specific cells is a promising approach for the delivery of therapeutic agents to tumor cells. Herein, we prepared green-emission fluorescent carbon nanodots (CNDs) by a facile hydrothermal method with d-(+)-glucosamine hydrochloride and l-aspartic acid as the precursors, then covalently conjugated with folate (FA), polyethyleneimine (PEI) and hyaluronic acid (HA) to develop dual ligand-decorated nanocarriers (FA-PEI-HA-CNDs) for the targeted imaging of cancer cells. FA-PEI-HA-CNDs integrated the excellent fluorescence property of CNDs, and can be used for the real-time and noninvasive location tracking of cancer cells. The cellular uptake study demonstrated that FA-PEI-HA-CNDs markedly improved the internalization efficiency in A-549 cells via folate/CD44 receptor-mediated endocytosis in comparison with that of the A549 cells pretreated with excess FA, HA, and FA and HA. Therefore, these dual folate/CD44 receptor-targeted CNDs (FA-PEI-HA-CNDs) show promising potential for cancer detection, drug delivery, and individualized treatment as performance platforms.

H-Bonding controls the emission properties of functionalized carbon nano-dots.

Bathochromic and hypsochromic shifts in the photo-luminescent spectra of doped and functionalized carbon nano-dots (CDs) arise due to the complex interaction between CDs and the solvent molecules around them. Nitrogen-functionalized carbon nano-dots (N-CDs) were synthesized from citric acid and urea using microwave assisted hydrothermal methods. Optical studies (absorption and photoluminescence) from the as-synthesized N-CDs were carried out in polar protic, aprotic and non-polar solvents. When excited at 355 nm, blue photoluminescence (PL) was observed from the N-CDs dispersed in polar aprotic solvents while green emission was observed in polar protic solvents. In addition to the general solvent effect, the analysis of the luminescence spectra in protic solvents suggests that hydrogen bonding plays a crucial role in regulating the photophysical characteristics of the system. Temperature dependent PL studies and time correlated single photon counting experiments in various solvent dispersions of N-CDs support the role of hydrogen bonding. This indicates that these results depend on the specific interactions observed from the N-CDs and can be thought of as the primary driving force which is then followed by solvent properties like dipole moments. Both the Lippert-Mataga model and Kamlet-Taft parameters were used to support the photophysical properties observed from N-CDs.

An efficient on-board metal-free nanocatalyst for controlled room temperature hydrogen production.

Positively charged functionalized carbon nanodots (CNDs) with a variety of different effective surface areas (ESAs) are synthesized via a cheap and time effective microwave method and applied for the generation of hydrogen via hydrolysis of sodium borohydride. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of metal-free controlled hydrogen generation. Our observation is that a positively charged functional group is essential for the hydrolysis for hydrogen production, but the overall activity is found to be enhanced with the ESA. A maximum value of 1066 ml g-1 min-1 as the turnover frequency is obtained which is moderate in comparison to other catalysts. However, the optimum activation energy is found to be 22.01 kJ mol-1 which is comparable to well-known high cost materials like Pt and Ru. All of the samples showed good reusability and 100% conversion even after the 10th cycle. The effect of H+ and OH- is also studied to control the on-board and on-demand hydrogen production ("on-off switching"). It is observed that H2 production decreases inversely with NaOH concentration and ceases completely when 10-1 M NaOH is added. With the addition of HCl, H2 production can be initiated again, which confirms the on/off control over production.

Signal-on electrochemiluminescent immunosensor based on poly(amidoamine) dendrimer functionalized carbon nanodots amplification for ultrasensitive detection of α-fetoprotein

An ultrasensitive sandwich-type electrochemiluminescent biosensor based on carbonaceous based nanomaterials was fabricated for alpha-fetoprotein detection. Herein, the composite of fullerene, graphene oxide and chitosan with specific surface area, good water dispersibility, and excellent biocompatibility was first modified onto the electrode surface and then it was in situ electrochemical reduced to improve the conductivity. After the capturing antibody was immobilized onto the modified electrode surface, the detection antibody together with poly(amidoamine) dendrimers functionalized carbon nanodots as the recognizable signal tags was self-assembled onto the electrode by typical sandwich immune reaction. By this design, the abundant functional groups, good water dispersibility and good electroconductivity of poly(amidoamine) dendrimers functionalized carbon nanodots make the composite not only an immobilizing platform to carrier numerous detection antibodies, but also an promising promoter for the electrochemiluminescent signal of luminol. With the aforementioned amplify factor, the established electrochemiluminescent biosensor under the optimal conditions demonstrated a wider dynamic response from 1fgmL−1 to 80ngmL−1 with a low detection limit of 0.33fgmL−1. Additionally, the experimental results exhibited the immunosensor possessed excellent stability, reproducibility and selectively. Accordingly, this immunosensing strategy for alpha-fetoprotein with the assistance of poly(amidoamine) dendrimers functionalized carbon nanodots provided a promising approach in clinical disease scanning.

Carbon nanodots modified cobalt phosphate as efficient electrocatalyst for water oxidation

High-activity and low-cost water oxidation electrocatalyst is of fundamental importance for the development of green energy technologies. Here, we demonstrated the carbon nanodots (phosphate functionalized carbon nanodots, PCDs) modified cobalt phosphate (CoPi) composite (CoPi/PCDs) could be served as high-efficiency oxygen evolution reaction (OER) catalyst in both neutral and alkaline conditions with low onset potential and high current density. This kind of improvement activity of CoPi/PCDs composite for OER may be attributed to the synergistic catalytic effect of CoPi and PCDs. In addition, the PCDs layer on the CoPi surface averted the CoPi from dissolution of enhancing the stability of the composite electrocatalyst.