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Novel Enteromorpha Prolifera based carbon dots: Probing the radical scavenging of natural phenolic compounds
Xiaojuan Wang1, Qi Chen1, Zhengyuan Zhang1
1State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing and Centre for Bioengineering & Biotechnology, College of Chemical Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China.
Abstract:
Phenolic compounds can act as protective agents against free radical oxidation. It is desirable to develop simple and efficient analytical techniques to measure the phenolic content and their antioxidant capacity. Using Enteromorpha prolifera (EP) as the carbon source, novel fluorescent carbon dots (EP-CDs) were synthesized through a facile microwave-assisted hydrothermal method. EP-CDs exhibit high mono-dispersity in aqueous solution, low cytotoxicity, and dual fluorescence emission in the visible and near-infrared range. The fluorescence of EP-CDs is inert to phenolic compounds and hydroxyl free radicals, but could be rapidly and efficiently quenched by the quinoid oxidation products. By monitoring the fluorescence quenching of EP-CDs, it is demonstrated that the radical scavenging processes of different natural phenolic compounds could be sensitively detected. By employing this eco-friendly and economic analytical method, phenols with different structure or concentration could be rapidly detected and determined. EP-CDs also have potential for additional applications, such as hydrogen peroxide and iron analysis.
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