From Structure to Sensing: Molecular Mechanistic Insights into Plant-Derived Carbon Dots for Heavy Metal Ion Detection

Himanshi Soni; Vicky Jain; Suhas Ballal; Indang Ariati Ariffin; Mamata Chahar; Suman Saini; Monika Bhattu; Harbinder Singh; Mikhael Bechelany; Jagpreet Singh

doi:10.3390/nano14211766

From Structure to Sensing: Molecular Mechanistic Insights into Plant-Derived Carbon Dots for Heavy Metal Ion Detection

Nanomaterials (Basel). 2024 Nov 3;14(21):1766. doi: 10.3390/nano14211766.

Authors

Himanshi Soni¹, Vicky Jain², Suhas Ballal³, Indang Ariati Ariffin⁴, Mamata Chahar⁵, Suman Saini⁶, Monika Bhattu^{7

8}, Harbinder Singh⁹, Mikhael Bechelany^{10

11}, Jagpreet Singh⁷

Affiliations

¹ Centre of Research Impact and Outcome, Chitkara University, Rajpura 140417, Punjab, India.
² Marwadi University Research Center, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Marwadi University, Rajkot 360003, Gujarat, India.
³ Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, School of Sciences, JAIN (Deemed to be University), Bangalore 560027, Karnataka, India.
⁴ Management and Science University, Shah Alam 40100, Selangor, Malaysia.
⁵ Department of Chemistry, NIMS Institute of Engineering & Technology, NIMS University Rajasthan, Jaipur 303121, Rajasthan, India.
⁶ Department of Applied Sciences, Chandigarh Engineering College, Chandigarh Group of Colleges-Jhanjeri, Mohali 140307, Punjab, India.
⁷ Research & Incubation Centre, Department of Chemistry, Rayat Bahra University, Mohali 140103, Punjab, India.
⁸ Parul Institute of Applied Sciences, Parul University, Vadodara 391760, Gujarat, India.
⁹ University Centre for Research and Development, Chandigarh University, Mohali 140413, Punjab, India.
¹⁰ Institut Européen des Membranes, IEM, UMR-5635, University of Montpellier, ENSCM, CNRS, Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier, France.
¹¹ Functional Materials Group, Gulf University for Science and Technology (GUST), Mubarak Al-Abdullah 32093, Kuwait.

Abstract

Plant-derived carbon dots (P-CDs) are gaining attention in environmental remediation due to their cost-effectiveness, availability, and lower toxicity compared with chemically synthesized carbon dots. This review comprehensively examines the recent advancements in the synthesis and application of P-CDs, with a particular emphasis on their efficacy in the sensing of heavy metals, which are among the most pervasive environmental contaminants. A detailed comparative analysis is presented by evaluating the performance of P-CDs against their chemically synthesized counterparts based on key parameters, such as optimal operating conditions and detection limits. Furthermore, sensing the potential of P-CDs towards every heavy metal ion has been discussed with in-depth mechanistic insights. Additionally, this review explores the industrial applications and future directions of P-CDs. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of -P-CDs for heavy metal sensing, aiming to enhance their sensitivity and selectivity toward heavy metal ions.

Keywords: carbon dots; environment; heavy metal; natural precursors; quenching; toxicity.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

This research received no external funding.