Polymer nanodots (PNDs) from a hybrid carbon source (glucose and glycine) which exhibit a stronger fluorescence than the PNDs from a single source (glucose or glycine) are obtained by one-pot hydrothermal treatment. It is attractive that PNDs can be used as an effective fluorescent probe for the detection of iron ions with good selectivity and sensitivity in an aqueous solution.

This work reports a scalable synthesis of water-dispersible fluorescent carbon nanodots based on the simple hydrothermal method (180 °C for 6 h) of kitchen wastes (grape peel for example). We discuss the feasibility of synthesis from kitchen wastes both experimentally and theoretically, and the as-prepared nanodots have high selectivity for Fe(3+) ions based on fluorescence quenching which is due to the complexes between nanodots and metal ions.

No abstract