SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERISATION OF pH SENSITIVE CARBON DOTS BY CARBONISATION OF GLUCOSE

Abstract

Carbon dots are new series of fluorescent nanomaterials that have drawn great attention in recent years owing to their unique properties. In this project, a simple carbonization approach to synthesize carbon dots was developed by using glucose as the carbon precursor. The synthesized carbon dots were further characterized using UV-Visible spectra. The effect of pH on the UV- Visible spectra of carbon dots were also analysed. The aqueous solution of as-prepared carbon dots were nearly transparent under visible light, while it displayed strong yellow fluorescence under UV light (365nm). Significant changes in the absorbance of the carbon dots were observed as the pH of the medium changes from acidic to basic implying that the as-prepared carbon dots were very sensitive to pH. So the carbon dots can be used as a promising material for sensing, bio imaging etc.