Fluorescent chemosensor for pyridine based on N-doped carbon dots

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Carbon dots (CDs) and nitrogen-doped carbon dots (N-CDs) are emerging nanomaterials with unique optical properties.
• Lactose, a readily available biomolecule, can serve as a precursor for synthesizing carbon nanomaterials.
• Developing sensitive and selective sensors for environmental and biological analytes is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize fluorescent carbon dots (CDs) and nitrogen-doped carbon dots (N-CDs) from lactose using a hydrothermal method.
• To characterize the synthesized nanoparticles and investigate their luminescent properties.
• To evaluate the potential of N-CDs as fluorescent sensors for pyridine detection.

Main Methods:

• Bottom-up hydrothermal synthesis of CDs and N-CDs from lactose.
• Characterization using elemental analysis, FTIR, Raman, TEM, DLS, and XPS.
• Photoluminescence spectroscopy to study optical properties and sensor performance.

Main Results:

• Successful synthesis of CDs (7.7±2.4 nm) and N-CDs (50±15 nm) with quantum yields of 8% and 11%, respectively.
• Demonstrated surface functionalization with amine and amide groups.
• N-CDs exhibited enhanced fluorescence in the presence of pyridine, showing a good linear relationship, indicating their potential as a pyridine sensor.

Conclusions:

• The hydrothermal method is effective for synthesizing fluorescent CDs and N-CDs from lactose.
• N-CDs possess excellent luminescent properties and can be utilized as a sensitive and reproducible fluorescent sensor for pyridine detection in aqueous media.