Devasish Chowdhury

Fluorescent carbon dots obtained from chitosan gel

In this communication we report the preparation of fluorescent carbon dots (CDs) from chitosan gel. We also studied the photoluminescent (PL) properties of CDs prepared in different pH conditions. While CDs prepared at pH 3 give an intense sharp blue fluorescence, those prepared at pH 1 or 5 give a broad emission. In addition, we also investigated CDs prepared from chitosan/Ag and chitosan/Au nanocomposites. It was observed that although the emission was broad and less well defined, there was an enhancement of PL emission for the CDs prepared from chitosan/Ag or chitosan/Au nanocomposites.

Carbon dots rooted agarose hydrogel hybrid platform for optical detection and separation of heavy metal ions.

A robust solid sensing platform for an on-site operational and accurate detection of heavy metal is still a challenge. We introduce chitosan based carbon dots rooted agarose hydrogel film as a hybrid solid sensing platform for detection of heavy metal ions. The fabrication of the solid sensing platform is centered on simple electrostatic interaction between the NH3+ group present in the carbon dots and the OH- groups present in agarose. Simply on dipping the hydrogel film strip into the heavy metal ion solution, in particular Cr6+, Cu2+, Fe3+, Pb2+, Mn2+, the strip displays a color change, viz., Cr6+→yellow, Cu2+→blue, Fe3+→brown, Pb2+→white, Mn2+→tan brown. The optical detection limit of the respective metal ion is found to be 1 pM for Cr6+, 0.5 μM for Cu2+, and 0.5 nM for Fe3+, Pb2+, and Mn2+ by studying the changes in UV-visible reflectance spectrum of the hydrogel film. Moreover, the hydrogel film finds applicability as an efficient filtration membrane for separation of these quintet heavy metal ions. The strategic fundamental feature of this sensing platform is the successful capability of chitosan to form colored chelates with transition metals. This proficient hybrid hydrogel solid sensing platform is thus the most suitable to employ as an on-site operational, portable, cheap colorimetric-optical detector of heavy metal ion with potential skill in their separation. Details of the possible mechanistic insight into the colorimetric detection and ion separation are also discussed.

Synthesis of Au nanoparticle–conductive polyaniline composite using H2O2 as oxidising as well as reducing agent

We report a new method of synthesis of an Au nanoparticle-conductive polyaniline composite by using H2O2 both for reduction of HAuCl4 and polymerization of aniline in the same aqueous medium: the electrical conductivity of the composite has been measured to be two orders of magnitude higher than the polymer itself.

Chitosan–Iron Oxide Coated Graphene Oxide Nanocomposite Hydrogel: A Robust and Soft Antimicrobial Biofilm

We report a robust biofilm with antimicrobial properties fabricated from chitosan-iron oxide coated graphene oxide nanocomposite hydrogel. For the first time, the coprecipitation method was used for the successful synthesis of iron oxide coated graphene oxide (GIO) nanomaterial. After this, films were fabricated by the gel-casting technique aided by the self-healing ability of the chitosan hydrogel network system. Both the nanomaterial and the nanocomposite films were characterized by techniques such as scanning electron microscopy, FT-IR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and vibrating sample magnetometry. Measurements of the thermodynamic stability and mechanical properties of the films indictaed a significant improvement in their thermal and mechanical properties. Moreover, the stress-strain profile indicated the tough nature of the nanocomposite hydrogel films. These improvements, therefore, indicated an effective interaction and good compatibility of the GIO nanomaterial with the chitosan hydrogel matrix. In addition, it was also possible to fabricate films with tunable surface properties such as hydrophobicity simply by varying the loading percentage of GIO nanomaterial in the hydrogel matrix. Fascinatingly, the chitosan-iron oxide coated graphene oxide nanocomposite hydrogel films displayed significant antimicrobial activities against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli, and also against the opportunistic dermatophyte Candida albicans. The antimicrobial activities of the films were tested by agar diffusion assay and antimicrobial testing based on direct contact. A comparison of the antimicrobial activity of the chitosan-GIO nanocomposite hydrogel films with those of individual chitosan-graphene oxide and chitosan-iron oxide nanocomposite films demonstrated a higher antimicrobial activity for the former in both types of tests. In vitro hemolysis potentiality tests and MTT assays of the nanocomposite films indicated a noncytotoxic nature of the films, which conveyed the possibility of potential applications of these soft and tough films in biomedical as well as in the food industry.

β-Cyclodextrin and calix[4]arene-25,26,27,28-tetrol capped carbon dots for selective and sensitive detection of fluoride.

In this work we have designed a novel system based on carbon dots prepared from chitosan gel capped with β-cyclodextrin and calix[4]arene-25,26,27,28-tetrol for sensitive and selective detection of fluoride ions in aqueous media. Fluorescent carbon dots prepared from chitosan gel when capped with β-cyclodextrin and calix[4]arene-25,26,27,28-tetrol results in quenching of its fluorescence intensity. Introduction of F(-) ions to carbon dots capped with β-cyclodextrin and calix[4]arene-25,26,27,28-tetrol system results in enhancement and restoration of fluorescence intensity leading to detection of F(-) ion. Minimum detection limit was determined to be ∼6.6 μM. The detection is selective as with other halide ions i.e. Cl(-), Br(-) and I(-) and hydroxyl ion (OH(-)), there is observed decrease of fluorescence intensity. A possible mechanism to justify the observation is also discussed in the paper.

Novel carbon dot coated alginate beads with superior stability, swelling and pH responsive drug delivery

Novel carbon dot coated alginate beads (CA-CD) exhibiting superior stability and swelling properties have been successfully prepared. CA-CD show exceptional stability in ambient condition and are stable at room atmosphere and temperature even after 60 days. Moreover, CA-CD show excessive swelling in comparison to calcium alginate (CA) beads. The beads were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and optical microscopy. The CA and CA-CD beads were investigated for their use as pH dependent sustained drug delivery vehicles taking tetracycline (TC) and tetracycline associated with β-cyclodextrin (β-TC) as model drug systems. It was observed that TC loading was 35% and 77% with CA and CA-CD, respectively. Tetracycline associated with β-cyclodextrin (β-TC) shows 48% loading for CA and much greater loading (as high as 90%) for CA-CD. At pH 1, CA-CD and CA beads show maximum drug release with TC cumulative release of 70% and 37% at 96 h, respectively. However, the delivery rates at pH 1 were slower in case of tetracycline associated with β-cyclodextrin (β-TC) loading showing 61% release for CA-CD and 22% for CA after 96 h. Thus, CA-CD can be suitably used as an effective drug delivery vehicle with maximum release obtained at pH 1 emphasizing its use in the gastrointestinal tract where pH is low. Also, the use of β-cyclodextrin with the drug as an inclusion complex renders the CA and CA-CD beads useful for slow and long-term drug administration.

Patterned Organosilane Monolayers as Lyophobic−Lyophilic Guiding Templates in Surface Self-Assembly: Monolayer Self-Assembly versus Wetting-Driven Self-Assembly†

Monolayer self-assembly (MSA) was discovered owing to the spectacular liquid repellency (lyophobicity) characteristic of typical self-assembling monolayers of long tail amphiphiles, which facilitates a straightforward visualization of the MSA process without the need of any sophisticated analytical equipment. It is this remarkable property that allows precise control of the self-assembly of discrete, well-defined monolayers, and it was the alternation of lyophobicity and lyophilicity (liquid affinity) in a system of monolayer-forming bifunctional organosilanes that allowed the extension of the principle of MSA to the layer-by-layer self-assembly of planed multilayers. On this basis, the possibility of generating at will patterned monolayer surfaces with lyophobic and lyophilic regions paves the way to the engineering of molecular templates for site-defined deposition of materials on a surface via either precise MSA or wetting-driven self-assembly (WDSA), namely, the selective retention of a liquid repelled by the lyophobic regions of the pattern on its lyophilic sites. Highly ordered organosilane monolayer and thicker layer-by-layer assembled structures are shown to be ideally suited for this purpose. Examples are given of novel WDSA and MSA processes, such as guided deposition by WDSA on lyophobic-lyophilic monolayer and bilayer template patterns at elevated temperatures, from melts and solutions that solidify upon cooling to the ambient temperature, and the possible extension of constructive nanolithography to thicker layer-by-layer assembled films, which paves the way to three-dimensional (3D) template patterns made of readily available monofunctional n-alkyl silanes only. It is further shown how WDSA may contribute to MSA on nanoscale template features as well as how combined MSA and WDSA modes of surface assembly may lead to composite surface architectures exhibiting rather surprising new properties. Finally, a critical evaluation is offered of the scope, advantages, and limitations of MSA and WDSA in the bottom-up fabrication of surface structures on variable length scales from nano to macro.

Carbon Dot Based Sensing of Dopamine and Ascorbic Acid

We demonstrate carbon dot based sensor of catecholamine, namely, dopamine and ascorbic acid. Carbon dots (CDs) were prepared from a green source: commercially available Assam tea. The carbon dots prepared from tea had particle sizes of ∼0.8 nm and are fluorescent. Fluorescence of the carbon dots was found to be quenched in the presence of dopamine and ascorbic acid with greater sensitivity for dopamine. The minimum detectable limits were determined to be 33 μM and 98 μM for dopamine and ascorbic acid, respectively. The quenching constants determined from Stern-Volmer plot were determined to be 5 × 10−4 and 1 × 10−4 for dopamine and ascorbic acid, respectively. A probable mechanism of quenching has been discussed in the paper.

Magnetic alginate–Fe3O4 hydrogel fiber capable of ciprofloxacin hydrochloride adsorption/separation in aqueous solution

This work reports the successful preparation of magnetic alginate–Fe3O4 hydrogel fibers using a simple laboratory micropipette, employing the basic principle of the wet spinning technique without using any sophisticated instruments. The magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles used in this study were synthesized using a conventional co-precipitation method. The systematic characterisation of the magnetic alginate–Fe3O4 hydrogel fibers was done using FT-IR spectroscopy, XRD and SEM. The prepared magnetic alginate–Fe3O4 hydrogel fibers showed ferromagnetic behaviour when studied with the help of a vibrating sample magnetometer and can be easily separated using a strong magnet. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and tensile strength measurements reported an improvement in the thermostability and mechanical properties of the prepared magnetic alginate–Fe3O4 hydrogel fibers when compared to the blank alginate hydrogel fibers. All of these property enhancements in the alginate–Fe3O4 hydrogel fibers are suggestive of good compatibility and effective interactions between the alginate polymer matrix and Fe3O4 nanoparticles. Also, the magnetic alginate–Fe3O4 hydrogel fibers were interestingly found to be very effective in the adsorption of the antibiotic ciprofloxacin hydrochloride, while the blank alginate hydrogel fiber did not show any significant adsorption. Therefore, such magnetic alginate–Fe3O4 hydrogel fibers can work as a simple and cost-effective probe for the successful adsorption/separation of antibiotics, with the additional advantages of being easy to fabricate and having high thermal stability and mechanical strength.

Capped Fluorescent Carbon Dots for Detection of Hemin: Role of Number of –OH Groups of Capping Agent in Fluorescence Quenching

We have successfully demonstrated the use of capped carbon dot systems, namely, CDs/β-cd, CDs/LMH, and CDs/Suc, as fluorescent sensors for the detection of hemin. The capped carbon dot systems showed quenching of PL intensity in the presence of hemin. The minimum detection limit was determined to be ~1 μM. The PL response with free Fe(II) and Fe(III) was also studied. It was observed that PL quenching of capped carbon dot systems in the presence of hemin is dependent on the number of –OH groups in the capping agent. The order of quenching towards hemin was determined to be CDs/β-cd > CDs/LMH = CDs/Suc > CDs. A possible mechanism to account for the observation is also discussed in the paper.