SYNTHESIS, CHARACTERIZATIONS AND APPLICATIONS OF CARBON DOTS (CDs) and Au-COATED CARBON DOTS (AuCDs)

Abstract

In current research, Carbon dots (CDs) and Au-coated Carbon dots (AuCDs) have been synthesized using Hydrothermal and conventional coating methods. AuCDs are a novel candidate in nanomaterials. Different characterization techniques, for instance; UV visible spectroscopy, Fluorescence spectroscopy, XRD, FTIR, SEM, and EDX have been utilized to investigate the optical, morphological, structural, and elemental characteristics of CDs and AuCDs. UV-visible spectroscopy, SEM, and EDX confirm the Au coating on the surface of CDs. UV-visible spectroscopy depicts the SPR band and broad CDs peak on Au coating. FTIR shows the existence of -OH and-COOH on CDs’ surface which aids in the formation of AuCDs. Electrochemical biosensing of Glucose proves the excellent sensitivity, electrical conductivity, and catalytic activity of CDs and AuCDs. Optical detection of metal ions confirms the ability of CDs to be used as Optical sensors for Cu ion detection. Cytotoxicity assessment on HEK-293T and MDA-MB-231 depicts that at higher concentrations, CDs and AuCDs have higher toxicity and are almost non-toxic at lower concentrations. Also, AuCDs show a higher level of toxicity as compared to CDs. Thus, CDs can be utilized for the sake of Electrochemical biosensing, Optical detection, and Cancer therapy. In addition, AuCDs act as a novel contribution in the field of nanoparticles that can be utilized in the fields of Electrochemical biosensing, Optical detectors, and Theranostic agents. KEYWORDS: Carbon dots (CDs), Au-coated Carbon dots (AuCDs), Electrochemical biosensing, Glucose, Optical detection, Cytotoxicity