Raji Atchudan

Turn-off fluorescence sensor for the detection of ferric ion in water using green synthesized N-doped carbon dots and its bio-imaging

This paper reports turn-off fluorescence sensor for Fe(3+) ion in water using fluorescent N-doped carbon dots as a probe. A simple and efficient hydrothermal carbonization of Prunus avium fruit extract for the synthesis of fluorescent nitrogen-doped carbon dots (N-CDs) is described. This green approach proceeds quickly and provides good quality N-CDs. The mean size of synthesized N-CDs was approximately 7nm calculated from the high-resolution transmission electron microscopic images. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed the presence of -OH, -NH2, -COOH, and -CO functional groups over the surface of CDs. The N-CDs showed excellent fluorescent properties, and emitted blue fluorescence at 411nm upon excitation at 310nm. The calculated quantum yield of the synthesized N-CDs is 13% against quinine sulfate as a reference fluorophore. The synthesized N-CDs were used as a fluorescent probe towards the selective and sensitive detection of biologically important Fe(3+) ions in water by fluorescence spectroscopy and for bio-imaging of MDA-MB-231 cells. The limit of detection (LOD) and the Stern-Volmer quenching constant for the synthesized N-CDs were 0.96μM and 2.0958×10(3)M of Fe(3+) ions. The green synthesized N-CDs are efficiently used as a promising candidate for the detection of Fe(3+) ions and bio-imaging.

Facile synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles decorated graphene oxide composite via simple solvothermal route and their photocatalytic activity on methylene blue degradation.

Zinc oxide nanoparticles decorated graphene oxide (ZnO@GO) composite was synthesized by simple solvothermal method where zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles and graphene oxide (GO) were synthesized via simple thermal oxidation and Hummers method, respectively. The obtained materials were thoroughly characterized by various physico-chemical techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Raman spectroscopy. Raman spectrum shows the intensity of D to G value was close to one which confirms the obtained GO and ZnO@GO composite possesses moderate graphitization. TEM images shows the ZnO nanoparticles mean size of 15±5nm were dispersed over the wrinkled graphene layers. The photocatalytic performance of ZnO@GO composite on degradation of methylene blue (MB) is investigated and the results show that the GO plays an important role in the enhancement of photocatalytic performance. The synthesized ZnO@GO composite achieves a maximum degradation efficiency of 98.5% in a neutral solution under UV-light irradiation for 15min as compared with pure ZnO (degradation efficiency is 49% after 60min of irradiation) due to the increased light absorption, the reduced charge recombination with the introduction of GO. Moreover, the resulting ZnO@GO composite possesses excellent degradation efficiency as compared to ZnO nanoparticles alone on MB.

Microwave assisted green synthesis of fluorescent N-doped carbon dots: Cytotoxicity and bio-imaging applications

A fast and facile microwave approach for the synthesis of fluorescent nitrogen-doped carbon dots (N-CDs) is reported. The N-CDs were hydrothermally synthesized using l-ascorbic acid (AA) and β-alanine (BA) as the carbon precursor and the nitrogen dopant, respectively. The morphology of synthesized N-CDs was characterized by high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) and the elemental composition was analyzed using elemental mapping method. The crystallinity and graphitation of N-CDs were examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy. The doping of nitrogen over the carbon dots (CDs) was revealed by attenuated total reflection conjunction with Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy and X-ray photo electron spectroscopy (XPS). The optical properties of synthesized N-CDs were examined by UV-Visible (UV-Vis) and fluorescence spectroscopy. The synthesized N-CDs emit strong blue fluorescence at 401nm under excitation of 325nm. The excitation dependent emission property of synthesized N-CDs was exposed from fluorescence results. The quantum yield of synthesized N-CDs is about 14% against the reference quinine sulfate. The cytotoxicity of synthesized N-CDs on Madin-Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK) and HeLa cells were evaluated through Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) cytotoxicity assay. The results implied that the fluorescent N-CDs showed less cytotoxicity, further which was successfully applied as a staining probe for the confocal imaging of MDCK and HeLa cells.

Nitrogen-doped carbon dots originating from unripe peach for fluorescent bioimaging and electrocatalytic oxygen reduction reaction

This paper reports the robust hydrothermal synthesis of nitrogen doped carbon dots (N-CDs) using the unripe fruit of Prunus persica (peach) as the carbon precursor and aqueous ammonia as the nitrogen source. The optical properties of synthesized N-CDs were characterized by ultraviolet visible (UV-Vis) and fluorescence spectroscopy techniques. The synthesized N-CDs were emitted blue light when excitated with a portable UV lamp. The materials with the optical properties were characterized further by high resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The mean size of the N-CDs was approximately 8nm, as calculated from the HRTEM image. The d-spacing of N-CDs, calculated using Bragg law, was approximately 0.21nm, which was consistent with the interlayer distance calculated from the HRTEM image. FT-IR spectroscopy and XPS revealed the presence of the phytoconstituents functionalities of peach fruit over the N-CDs surface and a high level of nitrogen doping on carbon dots (CDs) was confirmed by XPS studies. These results suggest that the unripe fruit extract of peach is an ideal candidate for the preparation of N-CDs. The resulting N-CDs showed excellent optical properties in water. The synthesized N-CDs exhibited a high fluorescence quantum yield and low cytotoxicity, and can be used as fluorescence imaging probes. In addition, the N-CDs were catalytically activite towards the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The N-CDs exhibited good catalytic activity in an alkaline medium (0.1M KOH) with a remarkable ORR of approximately 0.72V vs reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE), and O2 reduction follows mainly a 2 electron pathway by being reduced to hydrogen peroxide. The 2-electron reduction pathway is used in industry for H2O2 production.

Reductive-degradation of carcinogenic azo dyes using Anacardium occidentale testa derived silver nanoparticles

In the present work, reductive-degradation of azo dyes such as congo red (CR) and methyl orange (MO) was manifested using Anacardium occidentale testa derived silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) as a catalyst. The formation of highly stable AgNPs were visually confirmed by the appearance of yellow color and further substantiated by the existence of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peak around 425nm. The effect of A. occidentale concentration, reaction time and pH in the formations of AgNPs was corroborated by UV-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy. The Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopic results proved that phytoconstituents of A. occidentale testa acts as a capping agent and thereby protects the AgNPs from aggregation. The crystalline nature of the AgNPs was validated from the XRD patterns. The average size of synthesized AgNPs was 25nm, with distorted spherical shape was ascribed from the high resolution transmission electron microscopic (HR-TEM) images. Due to the high stability of the as-synthesized AgNPs, they were utilized for the degradation of carcinogenic azo dyes such as CR and MO using NaBH4 and its catalytic activity was studied via UV-Vis spectroscopy. The results proved that extraordinary catalytic activity of synthesized AgNPs towards the reductive-degradation of both CR and MO.

Highly fluorescent nitrogen-doped carbon dots derived from Phyllanthus acidus utilized as a fluorescent probe for label-free selective detection of Fe3+ ions, live cell imaging and fluorescent ink

A facile, economical and one-step hydrothermal method is used to synthesize highly durable fluorescent nitrogen-doped carbon dots (FNCDs) by utilizing Phyllanthus acidus (P. acidus) and aqueous ammonia as the carbon and nitrogen sources, respectively. The synthesized FNCDs have an average size of 4.5±1nm and showed bright blue fluorescence under the irradiation of UV-light at an excitation wavelength of 365nm. It exhibits a quantum yield (QY) of 14% at an excitation wavelength of 350nm with maximum emission at 420nm. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy characterizations clearly showed the formation of FNCDs that predominantly consists of nitrogen and hydroxyl groups which can provide more adsorption sites. In addition, the above study reveals the successful bonding of nitrogen with carbon (C-N) in the FNCDs. The synthesized FNCDs with high QY can be used as efficient fluorescent probes for the detection of Fe3+. Based on the linear relationship between normalized fluorescence intensity and concentration of Fe3+ ions, the prepared FNCDs can be used for label-free sensitive and selective detection of Fe3+ ions in a wide concentration range of 2-25μM with a detection limit of 0.9μM. The present study proves that synthesized FNCDs has durable fluorescence, soluble in water very well and thus act as a promising candidate for the diverse applications such as label-free sensitive and selective detection of Fe3+, fluorescent ink and cellular imaging with good biocompatibility and low cytotoxicity.

Highly graphitic carbon nanosheets synthesized over tailored mesoporous molecular sieves using acetylene by chemical vapor deposition method

Graphitic carbon nanosheets (GCNS) were synthesized using mesoporous Ti-MCM-41 molecular sieves as catalytic template and acetylene as carbon precursor following chemical vapor deposition method, under atmospheric pressure. The mesoporous Ti-MCM-41 molecular sieves with various Si/Ti ratios were synthesized by direct hydrothermal method. The materials so obtained were characterized by various physico-chemical techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and Raman spectroscopy. The analytical results indicated that the obtained GCNS possess high thermal stability and good graphitization with an inter layer distance of around 3.45 A. The influence of reaction parameters such as temperature and catalytic templates was studied to improve the quality and quantity of GCNS. The excellent graphitized GCNS material on a large scale was achieved from Ti-MCM-41 at moderate reaction temperature. This work proposes a way for the large scale synthesis of GCNS with applications suitable for nanoelectronics, nanocomposites and so on.

Hydrothermal conversion of Magnolia liliiflora into nitrogen-doped carbon dots as an effective turn-off fluorescence sensing, multi-colour cell imaging and fluorescent ink

The present work illustrates the potential uses of nitrogen-doped multi-fluorescent carbon dots (N-CDs) for Fe3+ sensing, cellular multi-colour imaging, and fluorescent ink. N-CDs were synthesized using Magnolia liliiflora flower by the simple hydrothermal method. The resulted N-CDs was found to be nearly spherical in shape with the size of about 4 ± 1 nm and showed competitive quantum yield around 11%. The synthesized N-CDs with uniform size distribution and high content of nitrogen and oxygen-bearing functional groups exhibit excellent dispersibility in aqueous media. The N-CDs were able to detect a high concentration of Fe3+ ions (1-1000 μM) with a limit of detection is about 1.2 μM by forming N-CDs-Fe3+ complex due to the functional groups such as nitrogen, carbonyl and carboxyl on the surface of N-CDs. Thus they could be used to remove pollutants from industrial wastewater. The electronic charge on the surface of the N-CDs and N-CDs-Fe3+ complex (zeta potential) is around -36 and 18 mV, respectively. In addition, these N-CDs show excitation-dependent fluorescence that was utilized for multi-colour in vitro cellular imaging in rat liver cells (Clone 9 hepatocytes). The N-CDs are rapidly uptake in the cell cytoplasm and showed high cytocompatibility on cellular morphology. Moreover, as the N-CDs possess strong fluorescence and anti-coagulation they could be utilized in fluorescent ink pens.

Synthesis, characterization, and antiproliferative and apoptosis inducing effects of novel s-triazine derivatives

In an attempt to design and synthesize a new class of antitumor agents, a mild and eco-friendly protocol for nucleophilic substitution using an s-triazine scaffold, via amine and Schiff base derivatives, has been developed. In order to obtain antitumor activity, all synthesized compounds were screened in vitro for their cytotoxicity against human fibrosarcoma tumor cells (HT-1080) and a cervical cancer cell line (HeLa), for their ability to inhibit the growth of cancer cells. The selected s-triazine analogs (5c, 5d, and 6c) have been preliminarily studied for their reactive oxygen species (ROS) properties, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and apoptosis (AO/EtBr) activity against the HT-1080 cancer cell line. The in vitro anticancer activity analysis has revealed that the synthesized compounds have good/moderate inhibitory activity against the tested cell lines compared to the standard drug. The theoretical study results also provide evidence that the s-triazines scaffolds have been successfully identified as superior p53-MDM2 inhibitors through structure-based design.

Preparation of CaCO3 and CaO Nanoparticles via Solid-State Conversion of Calcium Oleate Precursor

Calcium carbonate (CaCO3) and monodisperse calcium oxide nanoparticles (CaO NPs) are prepared by the calcination of solid-state calcium oleate precursor in air condition. The effect of calcination temperature on the synthesis of CaCO3 and CaO NPs is examined. The polymorphism is confirmed by X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The sample morphologies including their size and size distribution are investigated by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). Calcination of calcium oleate between 400 and 550 °C results in CaCO3 NPs with mean sizes from 82 to 98 nm, whereas monodisperse spherical CaO NPs are obtained at 650 °C and an average size is estimated to be 40 nm. Beyond 650 °C, the size of CaO NPs increases with broad size distribution. The results of this study provide a novel approach to monodisperse CaCO3 and CaO NPs that can be applied in a variety of fundamental and industrial fields.