Synthesis of carbon quantum dots from “De-oiled copra cake” by hydrothermal mechanism: In the realm of bioimaging

Abstract

This study incorporates an efficient facile one-pot hydrothermal synthesis of carbon quantum dots (CQD-CK) using the de-oiled copra cake biowaste. The synthesized quantum dots have showed good bioimaging with distinguished fluorescence cell properties with bacterial cultures (Escherichia coli and Streptococcus pyogenes), and yeast cells (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). Throughout the zebrafish's embryonic stages, the synthesized CQD-CK displayed unique fluorescence, indicating the CQD-CKs' increased binding affinities towards the zebrafish's tissues. The optical (UV, PL and FT-IR) and morphological studies (Zeta Potential (ZP), HR-TEM, SEM-EDAX, XRD, Raman spectroscopy) of the synthesized CQD-CK, further confirms the quantum nature of the synthesized CQD-CK (0.262nm through FFT). This work shows that the optical and morphological properties of the synthesized CQD-CK, as well as their synchronized outcomes in the bacterial and live zebrafish embryo and larval imaging, may make them a valuable probe in drug screening, medical research, and toxicological studies.