Recycling of waste into valuable
products plays a significant role
in sustainable development. Herein, we report the conversion of vehicle
exhaust waste soot into water-soluble fluorescent carbon dots via
a simple acid refluxion method. The obtained carbon dots were characterized
using microscopic and spectroscopic techniques. Microscopic techniques
reveal that the prepared carbon material is spherical in shape with
an average particle size of ∼4 nm. Spectroscopic studies exhibited
that the carbon dots are emissive in nature, and the emission is excitation-dependent.
Further, the prepared carbon dots were successfully utilized as a
fluorescent probe for the detection of tartrazine with a limit of
detection of 26 nM. The sensitivity of carbon dots has also been realized
by the detection of trace amounts of tartrazine in commercial soft
drinks. Overall, this work demonstrates the conversion air pollutant
soot into value-added fluorescent nanomaterials toward sensing applications.
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