Synthesis of Novel Fluorescent Carbon Quantum Dots From Rosa roxburghii for Rapid and Highly Selective Detection of o-nitrophenol and Cellular Imaging

Abstract

A novel carbon quantum dots (CQDs) were successfully synthesized by one-step hydrothermal reaction using Rosa roxburghii as a biomass-based precursor. The CQDs have an average size of 2.5 nm and a narrow size distribution. They display strong blue fluorescence with a quantum yield of 24.8% and good biocompatibility. Notably, these CQDs were capable of detecting trace o-nitrophenol in surface water and sewage with high sensitivity and specificity. The linear range is 0.08–40 μmol/L, and the limit of detection is 15.2 nmol/L. Furthermore, this CQDs was successfully applied for o-nitrophenol analysis in river water and sewage samples. Additionally, Hep3B cells, a human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line, can be easily imaged with high resolution using the as-prepared CQDs as nanoprobes. These results reveal that the as-prepared CQDs have potential applications for detecting o-nitrophenol and cell imaging.

Preparation of Multifunctional N-Doped Carbon Quantum Dots from Citrus clementina Peel: Investigating Targeted Pharmacological Activities and the Potential Application for Fe3+ Sensing

“…This indicates that an increase in the quantum yield results from the nitrogen passivation on the carbon quantum dots surface. In general, the literature reports show that biomass-derived CQDs have lower quantum yield and that surface passivation plays an essential role in improving their optical and chemical properties [ 34 ]. Therefore, the material with the best-determined quantum yield, precisely CQD@Arg, was used for further investigation and analysis.…”

A Review on Carbon Dots: Synthesis, Characterization and Its Application in Optical Sensor for Environmental Monitoring

“…Lemon peels, prunus avium extract, cornstalk, corn bract, dried lemon peels, pulp-free lemon juice, citrus lemon peels, citrus sinensis peels, etc. are another precursor that have been used in the development of CDs, as shown in Table 1 [ 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 ]. Among these precursors, acidic fruits, such as lemon peels, lemon juice, and citrus sinensis, were frequently chosen.…”

“…The rules are as follows: (i) the absorption spectrum of the quencher (phenols) should overlap with the emission spectrum fluorophore and (ii) there is a change in the fluorescence lifetime of CDs before and after the addition of the quencher. Furthermore, the inner filter effect (IFE) is also considered important and has been applied as a developing novel fluorescent assay in recent studies [ 34 , 136 , 170 , 218 , 219 , 226 ]. This approach offers more simplicity and expediency because IFE-based sensors use fluorophore and the receptor directly rather than chemically interacting with each other.…”

“…Water and ethanol Carbonization ---2018 [25] Acerola fruit Water Hydrothermal -λ em -504 nm λ ex -360 nm -2019 [26] Bitter orange juice -Hydrothermal AFM-2-4 nm DLS-1-2 nm λ em -390 nm λ ex -325 nm 19.9% 2019 [27] Citrus lemon juice Ethylenediamine Hydrothermal HRTEM-3 nm λ em -452 nm λ ex -360 nm 31% 2019 [28] Lemon and onion juices Ammonium hydroxide solution Microwave assisted carbonization TEM-6.15 nm λ em -425 nm λ ex -340 nm 23.6% 2019 [29] Lemon juice -Hydrothermal HRTEM-3-15 nm λ em -524 nm λ ex -420 nm 21.37% 2019 [30] Durian shell Tris base and deionized water Hydrothermal carbonization TEM-6.5 nm λ em -414 nm λ ex -340 nm 12.93% 2019 [31] Lemon Hydroxylamine Hydrothermal HRTEM-2 nm λ em -430-470 nm λ ex -360 nm 5% 2020 [32] Pomegranate Sodium hydroxide and polyethylene glycol Microwave HRTEM-1 to 5 nm λ em -532 nm -2020 [33] Watermelon peels λ em -515 nm Rosa roxburghii fruits Water Hydrothermal TEM-2.5 nm λ em -450 nm λ ex -360 nm 24.8% 2020 [34] Citrus fruit peels Deionized water Sand bath TEM-4.6 nm λ em -510 nm λ ex -420 nm -2021 [35] Banana peel Deionized water Hydrothermal TEM-5 nm λ ex -355 nm 20% 2021 [36] Elaeagnus angustifolia Ultrapure water Hydrothermal TEM-<10 nm λ em -410 nm λ ex -330 nm 16.8% 2021 [37] have heated an ethanol solution of pulp-free lemon juice to produce very high red-luminescent CDs, which hold the promise for in vitro and in vivo bio-imaging [17]. At present, Bael patra fruit-derived CDs turned out to be an excellent carbon source without the need of chemical additives [39].…”

Key Points in Remote-Controlled Drug Delivery: From the Carrier Design to Clinical Trials

“…However, the wide range of challenges in biomedicine push one to take a step beyond liposomal drug delivery [16,17]. [18]). (b) CNTs (SEM image reprinted with permission from Frontiers [19]).…”