Unlocking Photosynthetic Potential: Harnessing Derived Carbon Dots as Nanofertilizers for Enhanced Plant Growth.

The synthesis of nanomaterials from renewable resources has emerged as an environmentally friendly alternative. This approach helps to reduce the use of chemical fertilizers in agricultural production, further reducing the potential harm to the ecosystem and effectively reducing the burden on the environment. In this work, we synthesized derived carbon dots (CDs) using the microwave hydrothermal method (RR-CDs) and the electrolytic oxidation method (GRR-CDs), and the results showed that RR-CDs had a wider ultraviolet absorption range and emitted blue fluorescence.

Food-borne bacteria analysis using a diatomite bioinspired SERS platform.

Rapid and sensitive detection of food-borne bacteria has remained challenging over the past few decades. We propose a surface-enhanced Raman scattering sensing strategy based on a novel bioinspired surface-enhanced Raman scattering substrate, which can directly detect dye molecular residues and food-borne pathogen microorganisms in the environment. The surface-enhanced Raman scattering platform consists of a natural diatomite microporous array decorated with a metal-phenolic network that enables the reduction of gold nanoparticles.

Dynamic Room Temperature Phosphorescence of Silane-Functionalized Carbon Dots Confining within Silica for Anti-Counterfeiting Applications.

Room temperature phosphorescent (RTP) materials with long-lived, excitation-dependent, and time-dependent phosphorescence are highly desirable but very hard to achieve. Herein, this work reports a rational strategy of multiple wavelength excitation and time-dependent dynamic RTP color by confining silane-functionalized carbon dots (CDs) in a silica matrix (Si-CDs@SiO). The Si-CDs@SiO possesses unique green-light-excitation and a change in phosphorescence color from yellow to green.

Multicolor Afterglow from Carbon Dots: Preparation and Mechanism.

Carbon dots (CDs), as emerging long afterglow luminescent material, have attracted the attention of researchers and become one of the hot topics in long afterglow materials. In recent years, researchers have obtained a series of CDs-based long afterglow materials with different properties utilizing matrix-assisted and self-protective methods. To meet diverse application needs, the development of multicolor CDs-based long afterglow materials is a focus and challenge in this field.

"Afterglow" Photodynamic Therapy Based on Carbon Dots Embedded Silica Nanoparticles for Nondestructive Teeth Whitening.

Teeth staining is a common dental health challenge in many parts of the world. Traditional teeth whitening techniques often lead to enamel damage and soft tissue toxicity due to the use of bioincompatible whitening reagents and continuous strong light irradiation. Herein, an "afterglow" photodynamic therapy (aPDT) for teeth whitening is proposed, which is realized by energy transition pathways of intersystem crossing.

The afterglow of carbon dots shining in inorganic matrices.

Carbon dots (CDs) are a new type of quasi-spherical and zero-dimension carbon nanomaterial with a diameter less than 10 nm. They exhibit a broad absorption spanning from the ultraviolet (UV) to visible light regions and inspire growing interests due to their excellent performance. In recent years, it was identified that the CDs embedded in various inorganic matrices (IMs) can effectively activate afterglow emission by suppressing the nonradiative transitions of molecules and protecting the triplet excitons of CDs, which hold broad application prospects.

General Synthesis of Carbon Dot-Based Composites with Triple-Mode Luminescence Properties and High Stability.

Carbon dot (CD)-based luminescent materials have attracted great attention in optical anti-counterfeiting due to their excellent photophysical properties in response to ultraviolet-to-visible excitation. Hence, there is an urgent need for the general synthesis of CD-based materials with multimode luminescence properties and high stability; however, their synthesis remains a formidable challenge. Herein, CDs were incorporated into a Yb,Tm-doped YF matrix to prepare CDs@YF:Yb,Tm composites.

Pumpkin seed oil: a comprehensive review of extraction methods, nutritional constituents, and health benefits.

Pumpkin seed oil (PSO), a rich source of nutrients, is extracted from the seeds of different pumpkin varieties for food and medicines. This article aims to provide an evidence-based review of the literature and to explore the extraction technologies, nutritional properties, and biological activity of PSO. From previous literature, PSO contains a large proportion of unsaturated fatty acids, with linoleic acid as the main component, and an amount of tocopherol, phytosterol, and phenolic acids.

Improving Plant Photosynthesis through Light-Harvesting Upconversion Nanoparticles.

Nanotechnology is considered as an emerging effective means to augment plant photosynthesis. However, there is still a lot of work to be done in this field. Here, we applied the upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) on lettuce leaves and found that the UCNPs were able to transport into the lettuce body and colocalize with the chloroplasts.

In Situ Growth of High-Quality CsPbBr Quantum Dots with Unusual Morphology inside a Transparent Glass with a Heterogeneous Crystallization Environment for Wide Gamut Displays.

All-inorganic CsPbBr perovskite quantum dots (QDs) are considered to be one of the most promising green candidates for the new-generation backlight displays. The pending barriers to their applications, however, lie in their mismatching of the target window of green light, scalable production, susceptibility to the leaching of lead ions, and instability in harsh environments (such as moisture, light, and heat). Herein, high-quality CsPbBr QDs with globoid shapes and cuboid shapes were in situ crystallized/grown inside a well-designed glass to produce nanocomposites with peak emission at 526 nm, which not only exhibited photoluminescence quantum yields of 53 and 86% upon 455 and 365 nm excitation, respectively, but also have been imparted of high stability when they were submerged in water and exposed to heat and light.

Carbon Dots in Hydroxy Fluorides: Achieving Multicolor Long-Wavelength Room-Temperature Phosphorescence and Excellent Stability via Crystal Confinement.

Carbon dots (CDs) have aroused widespread interest in the construction of room-temperature phosphorescent (RTP) materials. However, it is a great challenge to obtain simultaneous multicolor long-wavelength RTP emission and excellent stability in CD-based RTP materials. Herein, a novel and universal "CDs-in-YOHF" strategy is proposed to generate multicolor and long-wavelength RTP by confining various CDs in the Y(OH)F (YOHF) matrix.

Carbon Dots with Intrinsic Bioactivities for Photothermal Optical Coherence Tomography, Tumor-Specific Therapy and Postoperative Wound Management.

Carbon dots (CDs) are considered as promising candidates with superior biocompatibilities for multimodel cancer theranostics. However, incorporation of exogenous components, such as targeting molecules and chemo/photo therapeutic drugs, is often required to improve the therapeutic efficacy. Herein, an "all-in-one" CDs that exhibit intrinsic bioactivities for bioimaging, potent tumor therapy, and postoperative management is proposed.

Construction of Carbon Dots with Color-Tunable Aggregation-Induced Emission by Nitrogen-Induced Intramolecular Charge Transfer.

As one of the most promising fluorescent nanomaterials, the fluorescence of carbon dots (CDs) in solution is extensively studied. Nevertheless, the synthesis of multicolor solid-state fluorescence (SSF) CDs is rarely reported. Herein, CDs with multicolor aggregation-induced emission are prepared using amine molecules, all of them exhibiting dual fluorescence emission at 480 nm (Em-1) and 580-620 nm (Em-2), which is related to the SS bonds of dithiosalicylic acid and the conjugated structure attached to CO/CN bonds, respectively.

Near-Infrared-Excited Multicolor Afterglow in Carbon Dots-Based Room-Temperature Afterglow Materials.

Room-temperature afterglow (RTA) materials with long lifetime have shown tremendous application prospects in many fields. However, there is no general design strategy to construct near-infrared (NIR)-excited multicolor RTA materials. Herein, we report a universal approach based on the efficient radiative energy transfer that supports the reabsorption from upconversion materials (UMs) to carbon dots-based RTA materials (CDAMs).

Multiemissive Room-Temperature Phosphorescent Carbon Dots@ZnAlO Composites by Inorganic Defect Triplet-State Energy Transfer.

Room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) with carbon dots (CDs) can be exploited further if the mechanism of trap-state-mediated triplet-state energy transfer is understood and controlled. Herein, we developed an in situ calcination method for the preparation of a CDs@ZnAlO composite material that exhibits unique UV and visible light-excitable ultra-broad-band RTP. The ZnAlO matrix can protect the triplet emissions of CDs by the confinement effect and spin-orbit coupling.

Red, orange, yellow and green luminescence by carbon dots: hydrogen-bond-induced solvation effects.

The mechanism of the solvation-dependent multicolor luminescence of carbon dots (CDs) is not clear, despite the fact that multicolor luminescent CDs have important applications in many fields. In this article, we report solvated chromogenic CDs with productivity of up to 57%. The luminescence of the CD particles exhibits a regular redshift in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), ethanol, water, and acetic acid.

Carbon dots as light converter for plant photosynthesis: Augmenting light coverage and quantum yield effect.

Carbon dots (CDs) with gradient-changed quantum yield (QY) were prepared by regulating the graphitic N and hydroxyl group contents. Then, the QY effect of CDs on plant photosynthesis was studied using chloroplasts and rice plants. After incubation for 2 h in the dark, CDs entered into the chloroplasts and converted ultraviolet radiation to photosynthetically active radiation.

Ultralong lifetime and efficient room temperature phosphorescent carbon dots through multi-confinement structure design.

Room temperature phosphorescence materials have inspired extensive attention owing to their great potential in optical applications. However, it is hard to achieve a room temperature phosphorescence material with simultaneous long lifetime and high phosphorescence quantum efficiency. Herein, multi-confined carbon dots were designed and fabricated, enabling room temperature phosphorescence material with simultaneous ultralong lifetime, high phosphorescence quantum efficiency, and excellent stability.

Room temperature phosphorescence from Si-doped-CD-based composite materials with long lifetimes and high stability.

C-dot-based composites with phosphorescence have been widely reported due to their attractive potential in various applications. But easy quenching of phosphorescence induced by oxygen or instability of matrices remained a tricky problem. Herein, we reported a Si-doped-CD (Si-CD)-based RTP materials with long lifetime by embedding Si-CDs in sulfate crystalline matrices.

Carbon Dots as a Protective Agent Alleviating Abiotic Stress on Rice ( L.) through Promoting Nutrition Assimilation and the Defense System.

Abiotic stress severely threatens agriculture. Herein, we studied the effect of heteroatom-free carbon dots (CDs) on the alleviation of abiotic stresses in rice for the first time. During in vitro coincubation, suspended rice cells were exposed to 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetate sodium (2,4-D-Na, 30 μg mL), 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D, 5 μg mL), NaCl (0.

Self-formed C-dot-based 2D polysiloxane with high photoluminescence quantum yield and stability.

C-Dots and composites based on them face the challenges of poor stability, especially under photo-radiation, and low solid-state photoluminescence quantum yields (PLQYs), which hinder their application in optical devices. Herein, a novel 2-dimensional hybrid material of polysiloxane embedded with Si-doped carbon dots (P-E-Si-CDs) was synthesized by a self-assembly approach, and the hybrid composite exhibited broadband blue-green fluorescence emission, outstanding photostability, high thermal stability, and a high PLQY of 82.8%.

Far-Red Carbon Dots as Efficient Light-Harvesting Agents for Enhanced Photosynthesis.

Sunlight utilization by plants via the photosynthesis process is limited to the visible spectral range. How to expand the utilization spectral range via construction of a hybrid photosynthetic system is a hot topic in this field. In this work, far-red carbon dots (FR-CDs) with excellent water solubility, good biocompatibility, high quantum yield (QY), and superior stability were prepared by a one-step microwave synthesis in 3 min.