Green Way Research Articles

Enhanced Visible Light Photocatalytic Activity of Exfoliated Boron‐TiO2 Composite for Degradation of Rhodamine B and Nitrogen Fixation

AbstractThe design of an efficient, recyclable, visible light photocatalytic system was examined as a viable new green way to address environmental challenges such as removal of pollutants from wastewater and N2 fixation. The exfoliated boron (Bexf)‐Titanium oxide (TiO2) composite visible light active photocatalysts were successfully constructed via a simple wet chemical method by utilizing acetone as a solvent. The composite was evaluated for the photodegradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) dye and reduction of N2, which exhibits improved photocatalytic activity for degradation of RhB as well as for reduction of N2. Experiments with different quenchers indicate that the photogenerated superoxide radical anion (O2⋅−) plays a significant role in the degradation of RhB as well as for N2 reduction reactions. The composite catalyst shows good photostability and there is no significant reduction of the catalyst activity for dye degradation up to 4 cycles of reaction. This work affords a significant view into the design of reusable TiO2 composite materials for photocatalytic RhB degradation and nitrogen fixation.

Light-induced phase transformation to two-dimensional amorphous spinel CoAlOx nanosheets as a tandem photothermal catalyst for efficient and durable toluene oxidation

Low temperature fabrication of spinel oxides and development of efficient and durable toluene photothermal catalysts remain challenging. Herein, two-dimensional amorphous spinel CoAlOx nanosheets (CoAl-LDH-L2) have been fabricated via a light-induced phase transformation strategy using intense photooxidation. Light-induced decomposition and phase transformation process have been used to elucidate the growth mechanism. The CoAl-LDH-L2 exhibits improved toluene adsorption and photothermal conversion, with the highest photothermal catalytic toluene conversion (∼100 % at 500 ppm) at 90 °C, outperforming most previously reported catalysts. Irradiation with mild external heating significantly increases the mineralization rate (∼90 %) and improves the long-term and cycling stability (∼5% losses within 39 h) relative to that under single-light-driven conditions. In-situ DRIFT spectroscopy was also performed for revealing the “tandem photothermal catalysis” mechanism for toluene conversion. This work offers a novel strategy for developing spinel oxides as low-temperature photothermal catalyst in a green and sustainable way.

Rapid synthesis of Cu2O/CeO2 p–n heterojunctions with enhanced photocatalytic properties by a sonochemical method

AbstractThe construction of p–n heterojunction is critical to reduce the electron–hole recombination rate and broaden the light absorption edge of photocatalysts. In this study, we successfully synthesize the Cu2O/CeO2 p–n heterojunctions through a rapid, simple, and environmentally friendly sonochemical method without any additional oxidants or elevation of the temperature and pressure. The prepared Cu2O/CeO2 heterojunction shows excellent adsorption of light, low electronic transfer resistance, and higher electron transfer efficiency. Under the irradiation of visible light, the as‐prepared Cu2O/CeO2 heterojunction exhibits exceptional capability for the degradation of methylene blue as well as outstanding reusability. The photo‐generated h+ is found to have a significant influence on the photocatalytic antibacterial of the as‐prepared Cu2O/CuO2 heterojunction under visible‐light irradiation and the sterilization rate toward Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli of our samples can achieve up to 100%. Our work provides a green and rapid way to produce Cu2O/CeO2 p–n heterojunctions with enhanced photocatalysis.

Synthesis and Anti TB Screening of α-Acyloxy Carboxamides via Passerini MCRs Prompted by GaCl3 and PEG-400 Media

Aims: The Isocyanides based Multi-component reactions (IMCRs), and Passerini reactions were performed by using GaCl3 and PEG-400 media to generate a library of new scaffolds. Background: The Isocyanides Multi-component reactions (IMCRs) have proven their importance due to their major advantages in synthetic and medicinal areas. Among various IMCRs, Passerini stands for their pertinency in the novel adducts articulation and generates an amide functionality which shows unbeatable efficiency towards the generation of lead scaffolds. In the research fields, PEG is acting as a versatile greener solvent due to its beneficial economic advantages. In general, chiral-based separation is always a headache for the chemist and researchers tend to generate routes with major products such as single isomers. Most MCRs studied with metal-based synthesis and rather use Au or Pt-based catalyst, Gallium that has been widely explored in chiral Lewis acid catalysis, organo-catalysis, or cooperative catalysis to generate a library of compounds with high stereoselectivity with mild reaction conditions. Objective: To find diverse scaffolds in the field of organic chemistry using easily accessible metal catalysts. Methods: In this article, Enantiomerically pure, 2-(((1H-benzo[d][1,2,3]triazol-1-yl)methyl)amino)-2-oxo-1-substitutedphenylethyl pyrazine-2-carboxylate (4a-4j), produced through a three-component passerine coupling reaction under GaCl3 as a Lewis acid-promoted conditions with diastereose-letivity ranging from moderate to good. Results: The designed approach exhibited an in situ single-step-economical path to enantiomerically pure, α-acyloxy carboxamides with pyrazine and 1H-benzo[d][1,2,3]triazole fragments employing the greener way of media through “PEG-400”. In an anti-TB screening against H37Rv, the withdrawing groups showed excellent activity compared to the donating groups Conclusion: It was expected that the Lewis acid-PEG pairs could serve as the best catalytic transfor-mations in eco-friendly ways and enrich the pure enantiomer of the adduct. On the medicinal side, the isolated library of compounds was screened for their biological activity against “Mycobacterium Tubercu-losis H37Rv” and 4f featuring “4-F” as a substituent was found to be most active [MIC: 12.5 μg/mL].

Lignin reinforced tough, adhesive and recoverable protein organohydrogels for wearable strain sensing under sub-zero temperatures

Protein-based hydrogels with promising biocompatibility and biodegradability have attracted considerable interest in areas of epidermal sensing, whereas, which are still difficult to synchronously possess high mechanical strength, self-adhesion, and recoverability. Hence, the bio-polymer lignosulfonate-reinforced gluten organohydrogels (GOHLx) are fabricated through green and simple food-making processes and the following solvent exchange with glycerol/water binary solution. Ascribing to the uniform distribution of lignosulfonate in gluten networks, as well as the noncovalent interactions (e.g., H-bond) between them, the resultant GOHLx exhibit favorable conductivity (~14.3 × 10−4 S m−1), toughness (~711.0 kJ m−3), self-adhesion (a maximal lap-shear strength of ~33.5 kPa), high sensitivity (GF up to ~3.04) and durability (~3000 cycles) toward shape deformation, which are suitable for the detection of both drastic (e.g., elbow and wrist bending) and subtle (e.g., swallowing and speaking) human movements even under −20 °C. Furthermore, the GOHLx is also biocompatible, degradable, and recoverable (by a simple kneading process). Thus, this work may pave a simple, green and cheap way to prepare all-biomass-based, tough, sticky, and recoverable protein-based organohydrogels for epidermal strain sensing even in harsh environments.

Radio frequency air cold plasma pretreatment to enhance 3D printing performance of tapioca starch by altering its rheological behavior and water migration

This work investigated the effect of radio frequency air cold plasma (RFACP) pretreatment in enhancing 3D printing performance of tapioca starch. The results of 3D printing showed that the cold plasma (CP) treatment enhanced printing precision from 75.88% to 89.16% in starch. On the one hand, it could appropriately weaken the fluidity of starch ink to reduce the printing line width. On the other hand, it could enhance the self-supporting ability of starch ink and alleviate the sagging and collapse of 3D patterns. The results of rheological behavior further demonstrated that CP-treated starch exhibited greater gel structure characterized by the increased viscoelasticity, rigidity, and structural recovery capacity. Additionally, CP treatment facilitated the migration of free water into immobilized states within the starch ink and shortened relaxation times, indicating an enhanced water-binding ability of the CP-treated starch. Correlation analysis showed that rheological properties, firmness and water distribution of starch ink were significantly linked with the printability. The improvement of starch 3D printing performance after CP treatment may be attributed to the higher amylose content and more hydrophilic groups (especially carboxyl) generated by CP depolymerization and oxidation effects, which could lead to a denser network structure with greater mechanical strength of starch gel. Overall, this study not only reveals the mechanism that CP treatment enhances 3D printing performance of starch, but also provides a green and effective way to improve the 3D printing performance of starch.

Biological control of the native endophytic fungus Pochonia chlamydosporia from the root nodule of Dolichos lablab on Fusarium wilt of banana TR4.

Fusarium wilt of banana caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense, Tropical Race 4 (TR4) is a soil-borne disease, and it is devastating. At present, the biological control using antagonistic microorganisms to mitigate TR4 is one of the best strategies as a safe and green way. Yunnan has abundant and diverse microbial resources. Using the dual-culture method, the antagonistic endophytic fungi against TR4 were isolated and screened from the root nodule of Dolichos lablab. The effect of the highest antagonistic activity strain on the morphology of the TR4 mycelium was observed using the scanning electron microscope. According to morphological characteristics and sequence analysis, the strain was identified. The biocontrol effect and plant growth promotion were investigated by greenhouse pot experiment. Using the confocal laser scanning microscope and the real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR, the dynamics of TR4 infestation and the TR4 content in banana plant roots and corms would also be detected. In this study, 18 native endophytic fungi were isolated from a root nodule sample of Dolichos lablab in the mulch for banana fields in Yuxi, Yunnan Province, China. The YNF2217 strain showed a high antagonistic activity against TR4 in plate confrontation experiments, and the inhibition rate of YNF2217 is 77.63%. After TR4 culture with YNF2217 for 7 days in plate confrontation experiments, the morphology of the TR4 mycelium appeared deformed and swollen when observed under a scanning electron microscope. According to morphological characteristics and sequence analysis, the strain YNF2217 was identified as Pochonia chlamydosporia. In the greenhouse pot experiment, the biocontrol effect of YNF2217 fermentation solution on TR4 was 70.97% and 96.87% on banana plant leaves and corms, respectively. Furthermore, YNF2217 significantly promoted the growth of banana plants, such as plant height, leaf length, leaf width, leaf number, pseudostem girth, and both the aboveground and underground fresh weight. Observations of TR4 infestation dynamics in banana roots and corms, along with real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR, verified that YNF2217 inoculation could significantly reduce the TR4 content. Therefore, YNF2217 as P. chlamydosporia, which was found first time in China and reported here, is expected to be an important new fungal resource for the green control of Fusarium wilt of banana in the future.

Iron‐catalyzed intermolecular and intramolecular cyclization reactions of N‐heterocycles

AbstractN‐Heterocyclic compounds have been appealing pharmacophores in their use as drug production substrates. In this review paper, the cyclization of N‐heterocycles, using iron as a catalyst, and their mechanistic pathways have been highlighted and presented comprehensively. This paper will provide researchers with in‐depth knowledge of their approach to synthesis by employing a greener way rather than a conventional one. The present review firmly establishes that iron catalysts by their innate ability and inherent potential to acquire the four oxidation states coupled with their easy accessibility, inexpensive, and environment‐friendly nature have remained the mainstay in chemistry as the evergreen catalyst in the domain of organic synthesis. This review paper extensively explores iron‐catalyzed cyclization of N‐heterocycles, elucidating mechanistic pathways and emphasizing greener synthesis methods. Iron's versatility, accessibility, and eco‐friendliness solidify its position as a cornerstone in organic synthesis.

Fluorescent carbon dots crosslinked Salix psammophila microcrystalline cellulose interpenetrating hydrogel system for sensitive detection and efficient adsorption of Fe3+

To combat the contaminating effects of heavy-metal ions on water resources, we prepared blue photonitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots (NCDs) from Salix psammophila (SP) as a raw material, doped them into a microcrystalline cellulose hydrogel, and successfully created a composite hydrogel (NCDs-SP-MCC-gels) for concurrent fluorescence detection and Fe3+ adsorption. The NCDs-SP-MCC-gels was examined for their shape, chemical composition, fluorescence characteristics, and adsorption behaviors. Results demonstrated that the NCDs-SP-MCC-gels displayed a broad linear range of Fe3+ fluorescence response (200–1000 mg/L; detection limit = 3.90583 mg/L) and a high adsorption capacity for Fe3+ (610 mg/g). The adsorption data fitted the Langmuir and pseudo-second-order models well. Further research was conducted on Fe3+ detection and adsorption onto the NCDs-SP-MCC-gels. This study proposes a green and sustainable way to create a material for the detection and absorption of heavy-metal ions.

A novel heterogeneous biocatalyst based on graphene oxide for synthesis of pyran derivatives

Graphene oxide modified with tryptophan (GO-Trp) has been introduced as a new heterogeneous acid-base biocatalyst for synthesis of some pyran derivatives. GO was prepared according to the Hummer’s method and tryptophan as a low-cost green amino acid is covalently bonded to the surface of GO without any organic or toxic reagents in a green way. The new catalyst was characterized by different spectroscopic methods such as Fourier transform infrared, X-ray diffraction (XRD), etc. …. The results of XRD patterns showed an increase in the distance between the GO plates in the presence of the modifying agent which specifies the presence of amino acid between the GO layers. XPS analysis also confirmed successful modification through the presence of C–N bonds in the structure of the catalyst. In addition, improvements in thermal stability and changes in the morphology of the samples were observed using thermogravimetric analysis and Field emission scanning electron microscopy analysis respectively. Evaluation of the catalyst performance in the synthesis of some benzo[b]pyran and pyrano[3,2-c] chromene derivatives showed presentable results. Seven benzo[b]pyran (4a–4g) and five pyrano[3,2-c] chromene (4h–4l) derivatives were synthesized. GO-Trp as a safe, natural and efficient catalyst, could be reused up to 5 runs for synthesis of pyran derivatives without any significant decrease in its potency. High purity of the products and desirable yields are other points that make the present work more attractive.

A novel modified polydopamine based on melanin-like materials for antibacterial, hydrophobic, and ultraviolet protective of textiles

The development of environmentally friendly multifunctional auxiliaries for textile modification is the focus of attention in textile industry in recent years. Polydopamine is an important biological macromolecule and widely used in biomedicine, nanomaterials, material surface modification and other fields. In this study, the novel multifunctional melanin-like nanoparticles (Nha-PDA NPs) were prepared and used for antibacterial, hydrophobic, and UV protective of textiles. Nha-PDA NPs were prepared with dopamine (DA) and n-hexylamine (Nha) by simple autoxidation copolymerization. Nha-PDA NPs were bound to the fabric surface through the PDA structure in Nha-PDA NPs that has been widely confirmed to have strong adhesion on the surface of many materials. The modified fabrics, Nha-PDA NPs@Cotton, had good hydrophobic, antibacterial and UV protective properties. The static water contact angles of the modified fabrics could reach 120°. The antibacterial rates of Nha-PDA NPs@Cotton against E. coli and S. aureus were above 85 %. The maximum UPF value of the modified cotton was 362, indicating that the ultraviolet protection performance was excellent. The fabric modified with multifunctional melanin-like nanoparticle provides a green way for the multifunctional modification of textiles.

An Integrated Process Analysis for Producing Glycerol Carbonate from CO2 and Glycerol.

Glycerol carbonate (GC) is one of the most attractive green chemicals involved in several applications such as polymer synthesis, e. g., the production of polyurethanes and polycarbonates. This relevant chemical can be produced, in a green way, using CO2 (from carbon capture) and glycerol (a byproduct from biodiesel manufacturing). Therefore, in this work, a comprehensive analysis of the GC production process is conducted based on the following synthesis route: urea-dimethyl carbonate-GC using carbon dioxide and glycerol as the main raw materials where the synthesis pathway was efficiently integrated using Aspen Plus. A techno-economic analysis was performed in order to estimate the required capital investment and operating cost for the whole GC process, providing insights on individual capital cost requirements for the urea, dimethyl carbonate, and GC production sections. A total capital cost of $192.1 MM, and a total operating cost of $225.7 MM/y were estimated for the process. The total annualized cost was estimated as $1,558 USD/t of GC produced, competitive with current market price.

Catching an Oxo Vanadate Porous Acetylacetonate Covalent Adaptive Catalytic Network that Renders Mustard-Gas Simulant Harmless.

In this work, we illustrated the design and development of a metal-coordinated porous organic polymer (POP) namely VO@TPA-POP via a post-synthetic metalation strategy to incorporate oxo-vanadium sites in a pristine polymer (TPA-POP) having acetylacetonate (acac) as anchoring moiety. The as-synthesized VO@TPA-POP exhibited highly robust and porous framework, which has been utilized for thioanisole (TA) oxidation to its corresponding sulfoxide. The catalyst demonstrated notable stability and recyclability by maintaining its catalytic activity over multiple reaction cycles without any significant loss in activity. The X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and density functional theory (DFT) analysis establish the existence of V(+4) oxidation state along with the VO(O)4 active sites into the porous network and the most energetically feasible mechanistic pathway involved in the TA oxidation, respectively, indicating the role of electron density associated with vanadium center during the catalytic transformation. Thus, this work aims at the demonstration of versatility and potential of VO@TPA-POP as a porous heterogeneous catalyst for the TA oxidation followed by decontamination of sulfur mustards (HD's) to their corresponding less toxic sulfoxides in a more efficient and greener way.

Performance Prediction and Heating Parameter Optimization of Organic-Rich Shale In Situ Conversion Based on Numerical Simulation and Artificial Intelligence Algorithms.

In situ conversion technology is a green and effective way to realize the development of organic-rich shale. Supercritical CO2 can be used as a good heating medium for shale in situ conversion. Numerical simulation is an important means to explore the shale in situ conversion process, but it requires a lot of time and computational cost for in situ conversion simulation under different working conditions. Therefore, a computational framework for rapid prediction of shale in situ conversion development performance and heating parameter optimization is proposed by coupling artificial neural network (ANN) and particle swarm optimization (PSO). The results indicated that kerogen pyrolysis and hydrocarbon product release mainly occurred within 2 years of shale in situ conversion. The production curves of pyrolysis hydrocarbon obviously slowed after in situ conversion for 2 years. The database was constructed by a large number of in situ conversion simulations, and Pearson correlation analysis and the random forest method were adopted to obtain seven main controlling factors affecting reservoir temperature and hydrocarbon production. The determination coefficient of the obtained ANN-based prediction models is higher than 97%, and the mean square error (MSE) is lower than 0.3%. The basic reservoir case can choose to inject 350-450 °C supercritical CO2 (Sc-CO2) fluid with a rate of 600 m3/day to obtain a more promising development effect. The heating parameter optimization for three typical reservoir cases using PSO was performed, and reasonable injection temperature and injection rate were obtained. It realized accurate development prediction and rapid heating parameter optimization, which helps the effective application of shale in situ conversion development design.

Waste foam to upcycled sponge-like porous carbon composites for efficient CO2 capture and conversion

Waste-derived porous carbon shows great potential for application in CO2 capture and conversion. In this work, we report a modified method for upcycling waste foam from vehicular sound insulation materials into porous carbon fiber composites that can be used for efficient CO2 capture and conversion under 1 bar conditions. The sponge-like porous carbon composites have high nitrogen content, porosity, and mechanical strength, and can selectively adsorb CO2 from flue gas. The adsorbed CO2 can be desorbed via heating or vacuum and then converted into useful products such as cyclic carbonates. Besides, sponge-like porous carbon composites show good stability and recyclability, and can be easily scaled up in industrial applications. It is important to note that high-temperature carbonization causes the loss of nitrogen in unmodified porous carbon materials, which makes physical adsorption the dominant type of CO2 adsorption. In contrast, composite materials that have undergone in-situ polymerization primarily adsorb and activate CO2 through chemical action. The results of BET, XPS, TEM, FT-IR, and DFT studies suggest that the modified sponge-like porous carbon composites with more active sites are beneficial for CO2 capture and conversion. Therefore, this study provides a green and sustainable way to utilize waste foam from end-of-life vehicles and the value-increment of CO2.

Photoinduced rapid Chloropropylation of Quinoxalin-2(1H)-ones with Cyclopropane and HCl

Herein, a photoinduced three-component reaction of aryl cyclopropane, quinoxalin-2(1H)-ones and HCl has been developed to introduce chloroalkyl motifs into N-heteroarenes. This synthetic method provides a green and efficient way to realize the chloropropylation of quinoxalin-2(1H)-ones and afford a series of chlorinated quinoxalin-2(1H)-one derivatives in moderate to good yields with the broad functional-group tolerance.

BN green gel thermal interface material with high thermal conductivity and low thermal contact resistance for efficiently thermal management

As an important component of electronic devices, thermal interface materials (TIMs) provide a fast heat dissipation channel, which will significantly improve the reliability and long-term stability of electronic devices. Gel TIMs with good flexibility is a development direction for thermal management in the future. However, the green and environmental issues in the preparation of gel TIMs with good stability are also important problems that must be considered. Here, combining the advantages of green deep eutectics solvents and high thermal conductivity boron nitride, a boron nitride polymerizable deep eutectics solvents gel composite TIMs with high thermal conductivity, good stability and low thermal contact resistance (TCR) has been developed. The thermal conductivity of composite TIMs achieved 1.18 W/m·K at a boron nitride loading of 20 wt%. Under pressure gradient testing (10 Psi-50 Psi), the TCR of composite TIMs decreased to 0.76 K·cm2/W. In the temperature gradient test (30 °C-70 °C), the TCR of the composite TIMs dropped to 0.143 K·cm2/W. Furthermore, in the TCR cycling test, the composites showed better cycling stability. In addition, composite TIMs also show better thermal performance in practical applications. This work provides a green way for the fabrication of gel TIMs with high thermal conductivity, good stability and low TCR.

Innovative Conversion Strategy for Wastewater with One‐Pot Uranium Extraction and Valuable Chemical Production by a Smart COF Photocatalyst

AbstractEnvironmental protection and resource reclamation make the extraction of uranium from uranium‐containing wastewater be a key role in the nuclear chemistry and industry. Although previous studies have revealed several effective methods and materials for such use, however, few studies are concerned about the wastewater discharge issues. In fact, the direct discharge of treated wastewater into the environment is still not a green way. Here, an innovative conversion approach is shown, which can simultaneously achieve the uranium extraction and conversion of wastewater to valuable chemical. This concept is implemented by an azobenzene‐pendent covalent organic framework, showing smart trans‐to‐cis photoresponsive properties in both space and electronic structure and consequently, largely enhanced extraction and conversion efficiency under UV irradiation, relative to visible light irradiation. In real wastewater, the material is found to give selective and 100% uranium extraction and H2O2 generation (1872.3 µmol g−1 h−1). The mechanism is due to a unique photocatalysis coupling between the uranium reduction reaction (URR), aiming at uranium recovery or removal, and the water oxidation reaction (WOR), targeting the conversion of wastewater into a valuable chemical of H2O2.

Amorphous/crystalline RhFeP metallene for hydrazine-assisted water splitting

Replacing the slow oxygen evolution reaction with favorable hydrazine oxidation reaction (HzOR) is a green and efficient way to produce hydrogen. In this work, we synthesize amorphous/crystalline RhFeP metallene via phase engineering and heteroatom doping. RhFeP metallene has good catalytic activity and stability for HER and HzOR, and only an ultralow voltage of 18 mV is required to achieve 10 mA cm−2 in a two-electrode hydrazine-assisted water splitting system. The superior result is mainly ascribed to the co-doping of Fe and P and the formation of amorphous/crystalline RhFeP metallene with abundant phase boundaries, thereby adjusting electronic structure and increasing active sites.

Encapsulation of Pure Water-Stable Perovskite Nanocrystals (PNCs) into Biological Environment-Stable PNCs for Cell Imaging.

Recently emerging perovskite nanocrystals (PNCs) are very attractive fluorescence nanomaterials due to their very narrow emission peak, tunable wavelength, and extremely high quantum yield, but their chemosensing, biosensing and bioimaging applications suffer from the poor stability of ordinary PNCs in aqueous media, especially in biological matrices. Recently developed water-stable 2D CsPb2Br5-encapsulated 3D CsPbBr3 PNCs (i.e., CsPbBr3/CsPb2Br5 PNCs) show extremely stable light emission in pure water, but their fluorescence is seriously quenched in aqueous media containing biological molecules due to their chemical reactions. In this work, we used a facile method to encapsulate pure water-stable CsPbBr3/CsPb2Br5 PNCs in water with SiO2 and polyethylene glycol hexadecyl ether (Brij58) into a new kind of biological environment-stable PNCs (CsPbBr3/CsPb2Br5@SiO2-Brij58). The synthesis of the target PNCs can be accomplished in a fast, easy, and green way. The obtained CsPbBr3/CsPb2Br5@SiO2-Brij58 PNCs maintain strong fluorescence emission for a long time, all in pH 7.4 PBS, BSA, and minimum essential medium, exhibiting excellent biological environment stability. Moreover, the developed biological environment-stable PNCs show good biocompatibility and have been successfully used in cell imaging. Overall, the work provides an easy, low-cost, and efficient application of PNCs in bioimaging.