Applied Nano, Vol. 6, Pages 19: Structure–Optical Properties and Sustainability Assessment of Carbon Dots Derived from Laurus nobilis Leaves

Applied Nano doi: 10.3390/applnano6030019

Authors:
Valeria De Matteis
Cristina Baglivo
Silvia Tamborino
Mariafrancesca Cascione
Marco Anni
Paolo Vitali
Giuseppe Negro
Mariaenrica Frigione
Paolo Maria Congedo
Rosaria Rinaldi

Carbon dots (CDs) derived from renewable biomass are emerging as sustainable alternatives to traditional nanomaterials for applications in bioimaging, sensing, and photonics. In this study, we reported a one-step synthesis of photoluminescent CDs from Laurus nobilis leaves particularly spread in the Mediterranean area. The resulting nanoparticles (NPs) exhibited average diameters of 3–5 nm and high colloidal stability in water. Structural analysis by X-Rays Diffraction revealed the presence of amorphous graphitic domains, while infrared spectroscopy confirmed oxygenated functional groups on the CD surface. Spectrofluorimetric analysis showed excitation-dependent blue–green emission with a maximum at 490 nm that can be applied also as label agents for cells. The environmental sustainability of the synthetic procedure was evaluated through a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), highlighting that the current impacts were primarily associated with electricity consumption, due to the laboratory-scale nature of the process. These impacts are expected to decrease significantly with future scale-up and process optimization.

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Valeria De Matteis www.mdpi.com