The utilization of vehicle waste-oil as a material source for preparing carbon dots

Abstract

Synthesis of carbon dots (c-dots) from vechile waste-oil is one of the alternatives for reducing the burden of environmental pollution. This study aimed to develop a green and economical strategy to produce C-dots by using motor oil waste. C-dots were synthesized by heating motor oil waste in the various percentage of sulfuric acid solution (95, 70, 30, and 0% H2SO4). The synthesized C-dot was characterized by UV-Vis spectrophotometry and Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The result showed that the carbon dot produces blue color at 365 nm of UV light. This color was attributed to the oxidation of chemical content in motor oil waste. Therefore, four peaks were obtained at 203 nm, 204 nm, 215 nm, and 210 nm for all samples. Based on FT-IR spectra, the most prominent sample difference was observed at peak 1630 cm−1. The characteristic band of the carbonyl group was identified at the c-dot concentration (70 and 95%) but was not observed in the c-dot concentration (0 and 30%). The presence of carbonyl groups caused the fluorescent color to gradually shift from dark blue to light blue.