Honeycomb waste-derived carbon dots as a sensitive sensing probe for detection of capecitabine chemo drug

Anticancer medication provoked concerns owing to its adverse health effects from overdose and henceforth, its sensitive monitoring is crucial. Carbon dots (CDs), as a pioneering carbon nanomaterial, have particles lower than 10 nm. CDs have an extensive multitude of applications based on their luminous qualities. The present era is focused on turning waste into economically viable products. The current research demonstrates a feasible method for preparing green fluorescent CDs from honeycomb waste (HCCDs). The HCCDs display excitation-dependent emission properties, exhibiting a blue shift with a change in excitation wavelength, and acquiring good stability with a zeta potential of −14.8 mV. Nevertheless, the particle size ranges between 2–5 nm. It is noteworthy that the fluorescence intensity of HCCDs was remarkably enhanced by the addition of increasing concentrations of capecitabine due to complex formation. Additionally, the sensor shows a determined detection limit of 1.04 μmolL⁻¹ without interference from ions. This demonstrates exclusive selectivity and sensitivity which paves a new way for the determination of the capecitabine drug.