Abstract
A simple and straightforward synthetic approach for carbon nanodots (C-dots) is proposed. The strategy is based on a one-step hydrothermal chemical reduction with thiourea and urea, leading to high quantum yield C-dots. The obtained C-dots are welldispersed with a uniform size and a graphite-like structure. A synergistic reduction mechanism was investigated using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The findings show that using both thiourea and urea during the one-pot synthesis enhances the luminescence of the generated C-dots. Moreover, the prepared C-dots have a high distribution of functional groups on their surface. In this work, C-dots proved to be a suitable nanomaterial for imaging of bacteria and exhibit potential for application in bioimaging thanks to their low cytotoxicity.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 137-145 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology |
Volume | 9 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 12 Jan 2018 |
Keywords
- Bioimaging
- Carbon nanodots
- Collaborative reduction
- Hydrothermal