Synthesis of green fluorescent carbon quantum dots using waste polyolefins residue for Cu2+ ion sensing and live cell imaging

- A highly green fluorescent carbon dots was synthesized from waste plastic residue.
- The synthesized non toxic carbon dots were employed for the detection of the Cu2+ ions and live cell imaging.
- Limit of detection (LOD) of Cu2+ ions is 6.33 nM.
- The Cu2+ ions are also used for cell imaging of triple negative breast cancer cells (MDA-MB 468 cells) and real water samples.

The residue obtained from the pyrolysis of waste polyolefins, has been used for preparation of highly green-visual fluorescent carbon quantum dots (CQDs) by a simple one step hydrothermal approach consisting of ultrasonic-assisted chemical oxidation. These CQDs were characterized by UV-vis absorption spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, TEM, XRD, and FTIR. The CQDs possessed high stability in aqueous solution and exhibited strong fluorescence with quantum yield of 4.84%. The use of these CQDs as a fluorescent sensor for Cu2+ ions detection has been explored. The synthesized CQDs have excellent selectivity and sensitivity towards Cu2+ ions with a limit of detection (LOD) 6.33 nM and linear detection range of 1-8.0 μM. These CQDs have also shown their utility for analysis of real water samples and have the potential to use for triple negative breast cancer cells (MDA-MB 468 cells) imaging.