Green Sources Derived Carbon Dots for Multifaceted Applications.

For the past decade, the Carbon dots (CDs) a tiny sized carbon nanomaterial are typically much attentive due to their outstanding properties. Nature is a fortune of exciting starting materials that provides many inexpensive and renewable resources which have received the topmost attention of researchers because of non-hazardous and eco-friendly nature that can be used to prepare green CDs by top-down and bottom-up synthesis including hydrothermal carbonization, microwave synthesis, and pyrolysis due to its simple synthetic process, speedy reactions and clear-cut end steps. Compared to chemically derived CDs, green CDs are varied by their properties such as less toxicity, high water dispersibility, superior biocompatibility, good photostability, bright fluorescence, and ease of modification. These nanomaterials are a promising material for sensor and biological fields, especially in electrochemical sensing of toxic and trace elements in ecosystems, metal sensing, diagnosis of diseases through bio-sensing, and detection of cancerous cells by in-vitro and in-vivo bio-imaging applications. In this review, the various synthetic routes, fluorescent mechanisms, and applications of CDs from discovery to the present are briefly discussed. Herein, the latest developments on the synthesis of CDs derived from green carbon materials and their promising applications in sensing, catalysis and bio-imaging were summarized. Moreover, some challenging problems, as well as upcoming perspectives of this powerful and tremendous material, are also discussed.

Anthracene-Based Highly Selective and Sensitive Fluorescent "Turn-on" Chemodosimeter for Hg2.

Three π-extended anthracene-bearing thioacetals (1-3) have been synthesized, and their fluorescence "turn-on" responses to Hg2+ ions are studied. The chemodosimetric fluorescence-sensing behavior and their resulting hydrolysis via a desulfurization reaction mechanism leads to the formation of highly fluorescent respective aldehyde substitutions. Furthermore, this mechanism was supported by increase in the quantum yields of their resulting aldehydes and is correlated to their molecular substitution. The chemosensors 1-3 have exhibited to be promising receptors toward Hg2+ ions in the presence of other competitive metal ions. Moreover, the detection limits of 1-3 have been found to be in the nanomolar range (94, 59, and 235, respectively). Fluorescence microscopic imaging studies show that 1-2 have been found to be effective for fluorescence imaging in live cells. Moreover, compounds 1-3 act as potential candidates for the detection of Hg2+ in environmental and biological systems as well as real samples.

Pineapple Peel-Derived Carbon Dots: Applications as Sensor, Molecular Keypad Lock, and Memory Device.

Herein, the fluorescent carbon dots (CDs) with blue emission were prepared by hydrothermal treatment using pineapple peel as a source of carbon. The as-prepared CDs exhibited turn-Off fluorescence behavior toward Hg2+ and subsequent turn-On behavior for l-cysteine along with enhanced biocompatibility and negligible cytotoxicity for cell imaging. The practical applicability of carbon dots was used for the quantification of Hg2+ in water. On the basis of the spectral characteristic changes, we have designed individual elementary logic operations such as NOT and IMP gates, by utilizing CD as probe and Hg2+ and l-Cys as chemical inputs. We have also demonstrated the utility of this system in electronic security devices and as memory element, with the idea of the switching.

Rhodamine Diaminomaleonitrile Conjugate as a Novel Colorimetric Fluorescent Sensor for Recognition of Cd2+ Ion.

Rhodamine diaminomaleonitrile linked probe (RD-1) shows highly sensitive colorimetric and selective turn-on fluorescent response to Cd2+ over other metal ions. The fluorescence intensity and absorbance of the probe RD-1 showed a good linearity, with very low detection limits of 18.5 nm. The probe RD-1 was preliminarily applied to the determination of Cd2+ ion in water samples from river and tap water with satisfying results. The live cell image confocal microscopy, HeLa cell demonstrated that RD-1 had low cytotoxicity with good membrane permeable property is successfully applied to fluorescence microscopic imaging for the detection of Cd2+ ions.

Sensing and inhibition of amyloid-ß based on the simple luminescent aptamer-ruthenium complex system.

Aggregation of amyloid-ß (Aß) peptide has been known to be pathologically associated with Alzheimer and dementia diseases. Amyloid-ß fibrils serve as an important target for the drugs development and diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases. Herein, we report a new [Ru(dmbpy)(dcbpy)dppz)] complex (dmbpy; 4,4'-dimethyl-2,2'-bipyridine, dcbpy; 4,4'-dicorboxy-2,2'-bipyridine, dppz; dipyridophenazine) intercalated aptamer based recognition of amyloid-ß. Interestingly, aforementioned Ru(II) complex shows weak luminescence intensity in the aqueous medium but it shows strong luminescence intensity in the presence of RNA aptamer. Upon addition of amyloid-ß monomers, the luminescence intensity of Ru(II) complex is reduced due to the strong interaction of aptamer with amyloid-ß monomer/small oligomers. Furthermore, present study implies that our system has ability to inhibit the formation of amyloid-ß fibrils, which is confirmed from the AFM morphological structures in the absence and presence of aptamer. This work may contribute the rapid diagnosis and inhibition of amyloid-ß aggregation in the clinical applications.

A selective, long-lived deep-red emissive ruthenium(II) polypyridine complexes for the detection of BSA.

A selective, label free luminescence sensor for bovine serum albumin (BSA) is investigated using ruthenium(II) complexes over the other proteins. Interaction between BSA and ruthenium(II) complexes has been studied using absorption, emission, excited state lifetime and circular dichroism (CD) spectral techniques. The luminescence intensity of ruthenium(II) complexes (I and II), has enhanced at 602 and 613 nm with a large hypsochromic shift of 18 and 5 nm respectively upon addition of BSA. The mode of binding of ruthenium(II) complexes with BSA has analyzed using computational docking studies.

Sensitized near-infrared luminescence from Nd(III), Yb(III) and Er(III) complexes by energy-transfer from ruthenium 1,3-Bis([1,10]phenanthroline-[5,6-d]-imidazol-2 -yl)benzene.

The luminescent ruthenium 1,3 -bis([1,10]phenanthroline-[5,6 -d]- imidazol-2 -yl)benzene (bpibH2) complex, a potentially useful bridging ligand with a vacant diimine site, has been used as 'metallo ligand' to make heterodinuclear d-f complexes by attachment of a {Ln(dik)3} fragment (dik = 1,3-diketonate) at the vacant site. When Ln = Nd, Yb, or Er the lanthanide centre has low-energy f-f excited states capable of accepting energy from the (3)MLCT excited state of the Ru(II) centre, there is quenching in the (3)MLCT luminescence of the Ru(II) centre, that affords sensitized lanthanide(III) based luminescence in the near-IR region. Nd(III) was found to be the most effective at quenching the (3)MLCT luminescence of the ruthenium component because of the high density of f-f excited states of the appropriate energy which make it as effective energy-acceptor compared to Er and Yb complexes.