Assessment of the biocompatibility and bioimaging potential of fluorescent carbon dots derived from waste biomass

• Published in: Materials letters Vol. 361; p. 136152
• Main Authors: Patel, Dinesh K., Won, So-Yeon, Jung, Eunseo, Deb Dutta, Sayan, Patil, Tejal V., Lim, Ki-Taek, Soo Han, Sung
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 15.04.2024
• Subjects: Banana peels; Bioimaging; Carbon dots; Cytotoxicity; Cytotoxicity; Bioimaging; Carbon dots; Banana peels
• ISSN: 0167-577X; 1873-4979
• DOI: 10.1016/j.matlet.2024.136152

[Display omitted] •The blue fluorescent C-dots were successfully synthesized from waste banana peels.•The C-dots have polar functional groups with a negative surface charge.•The C-dots exhibited excitation-dependent photoluminescence property.•The C-dots have no cytotoxic effects on human fibroblast cells.•Cells were visualized under fluorescence microscope in the presence of C-dots. The fluorescent carbon dots (C-dots) are attractive platforms in bioimaging, biosensing, and disease detection applications due to their attractive physicochemical characteristics. Herein, we synthesized fluorescent and biocompatible C-dots from banana biomass through heat treatment. The C-dots were soluble in water and showed a fluorescent behavior under UV light (365 nm). The synthesized C-dots demonstrated an excitation-dependent emission behavior with a satisfying quantum yield of 15 %. The C-dots exhibited different functional groups in their structure. The C-dots have no adverse effects on human dermal fibroblast cells (HDFs), indicating their biocompatibility. The C-dots have successfully delivered inside cells and showed fluorescent behavior. These results showed that the prepared materials could potentially explore high-performance bioimaging applications.