Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 21, 2026

Author Spotlight: Development and Characterization of Eco-Friendly Lignin-Based Microparticles for Enhanced Delivery of Bioflavonoids
Published on: March 1, 2024
Sustainable Synthesis of Bright Green Fluorescent Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Quantum Dots from Alkali Lignin
Baohua Zhang1, Yijian Liu1,2, Muqing Ren3
1Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai, 200444, P.R. China.
Abstract:
Sustainable, inexpensive, and environmentally friendly biomass waste can be exploited for large-scale production of carbon nanomaterials. Here, alkali lignin was employed as a precursor to synthesize carbon quantum dots (CQDs) with bright green fluorescence through a simple one-pot route. The prepared CQDs had a size of 1.5-3.5 nm, were water-dispersible, and showed wonderful biocompatibility, in addition to their excellent photoluminescence and electrocatalysis properties. These high-quality CQDs could be used in a wide range of applications such as metal-ion detection, cell imaging, and electrocatalysis. The wide range of biomass lignin feedstocks provide a green, low-cost, and viable strategy for producing high-quality fluorescent CQDs and enable the conversion of biomass waste into high-value products that promote sustainable development of the economy and human society.
Related Concept Videos
Alkali Metals
Table 1: Properties of the alkali metals
Quantum Numbers
Sustainable Development
The Quantum-Mechanical Model of an Atom
The Nitrogen Cycle
Overview of Nitrogen Metabolism
The largest pool of nitrogen available in the terrestrial ecosystem is gaseous nitrogen (N2) from the air, but this...

