Detection of organic pollutants, food additives and antibiotics using sustainable carbon dots.

The ecosystem across the globe has been adversely affected due to the adoption of unsustainable growth strategies. Overuse of organic pollutants such as dyes, pesticides, disinfectants, food additives and antibiotics, along with their release into the environment without proper treatment has severely affected the food chain and water bodies, hence ultimately the human race. As the organic contaminants, being non-biodegradable, persist in the environment for a long duration, a sustainable method for the detection of these harmful organic pollutants is essential.

Fluorescent films based on PVDF doped with carbon dots for evaluation of UVA protection of sunscreens and fabrication of cool white LEDs.

The ultraviolet-A (UVA) radiation from sunlight that reaches the earth's surface can induce premature aging, immunosuppression, and skin cancer. Commercial sunscreen products offer limited information regarding protection against UVA light. Therefore, proposing new and practical alternatives to evaluate the UVA protection capacity of commercial sunscreens is highly imperative.

Heavy metal ion detection using green precursor derived carbon dots.

The discovery of carbon dots (CDs) for environmental remediation has gained awareness because of the diverse economically viable and environmental friendly green precursors generated from biowastes and biomass compared to the toxic inorganic quantum dots and CDs prepared from chemical precursors. This review presents the recent progress in green CDs, including their synthesis methods and sensing applications for the detection of heavy metal ions such as Iron (III), Mercury (II), Copper (II), Chromium (VI), Lead (II), Arsenic (III), Cobalt (II), Aluminum (III), Silver (I), and Gold (III) which are prominent environmental pollutants. The comparison based on selectivity, sensitivity, quantum yield, detection limit, linear concentration range, and sensing mechanisms are also reported.