Open AccessFacile one‐pot hydrothermal synthesis of stable and biocompatible fluorescent carbon dots from lemon grass herb
Author(s) -
Thota Sai Praneeth,
Thota Sai Manohar,
Srimadh Bhagavatham Saikrishna,
Sai Manoj Kaja,
Sai Muthukumar Vijaya Sayee,
Venketesh Sivaramakrishnan,
Vadlani Praveen V.,
Belliraj Siva Kumar
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
iet nanobiotechnology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1751-875X
DOI - 10.1049/iet-nbt.2017.0038
Subject(s) - biocompatibility , materials science , nanomaterials , fluorescence , luminescence , transmission electron microscopy , carbon fibers , nanotechnology , hydrothermal circulation , quantum yield , nanostructure , hydrothermal synthesis , chemical engineering , optoelectronics , composite number , optics , composite material , physics , engineering , metallurgy
Luminescent carbon‐based nanomaterials hold great promise due to their stable photo‐physical behaviour, biocompatibility and lower toxicity. This work involves economic and facile one‐pot green synthesis of water‐soluble nanostructures from lemon grass (LGNS) [ Cymbopogon citratus (DC) Stapf ] as carbon source. High‐resolution transmission electron microscopy confirmed the formation of LGNS with lattice spacing of 0.23 nm matching low‐dimensional graphitic structures. The strong absorption exhibited at 278 nm could be attributed to л‐states of sp 2 /sp 3 hybridisation in carbon nanostructures. Fluorescence spectroscopy of LGNS exhibited strong excitation‐dependent emission properties over a broad range of wavelengths from 300 to 600 nm. Quantitatively, these LGNS were estimated to have quantum yield of 23.3%. Biomass derived LGNS could be potentially exploited for wide variety of applications like bioimaging, up‐conversion, drug delivery and optoelectronic devices. To this extent, synthesised LGNS were used to image yeast cells via multicolour/multi‐excitation fluorescence imaging.