Green synthesis and characterization of nitrogen-doped carbon dots for enhanced photocatalytic tylosin degradation in soil
Abstract This study reports one-pot green synthesizing and characterizing nitrogen-doped carbon dots (N-CDs) with green-light-emitting fluorescent features. For the said purpose, citrus-containing pulp-free juice was extracted from the lemon (as a green carbon precursor) and subjected to a carboniza...
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Nature Portfolio
2025-08-01
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-14411-3 |
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| author | María Fernanda Cervantes-Alcaide Jumanah Ghannam Reham M. Aldahasi Afrah E. Mohammed Hafiz M. N. Iqbal |
| author_facet | María Fernanda Cervantes-Alcaide Jumanah Ghannam Reham M. Aldahasi Afrah E. Mohammed Hafiz M. N. Iqbal |
| author_sort | María Fernanda Cervantes-Alcaide |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract This study reports one-pot green synthesizing and characterizing nitrogen-doped carbon dots (N-CDs) with green-light-emitting fluorescent features. For the said purpose, citrus-containing pulp-free juice was extracted from the lemon (as a green carbon precursor) and subjected to a carbonization process in the presence of urea as a doping agent. In addition, the characteristic-dependent factors, i.e., carbonization temperature (i.e., 160 °C, 210 °C, and 260 °C) and reaction periods (i.e., 2 and 4 h), were also varied to investigate their influence on the synthesis and characteristic attributes of N-CDs. Under UV light at 365 nm, the fabricated N-CDs exhibited strong green light emission up to different extents from light green to bright green range. Overall, the green-light-emitting fluorescent potential of all prepared N-CDs was found to be temperature and time-dependent. The UV–Vis spectral profile revealed characteristic absorption peaks of 288, 333, and 407 nm, confirming the formation of N-CDs. The FTIR profile revealed the functional group entities with evident peaks in 3345 cm−1, 2120 cm−1, and 1636 cm−1 regions corresponding to O–H, C=C, and NO2. The surface topology and size distribution characteristics were studied through SEM, TEM, and Image J analysis. The results showed uniformly dispersed particles with a minimum average diameter of 6.63 ± 0.07 nm. The EDS/EDX analysis results validated the elemental composition of the samples, distinctly indicating that carbon predominates as the major element across all samples. The catalytic breakdown potential of N-CDs was tested against Tylosin removal from contaminated soil samples (identified and quantified through LC–MS/MS analysis). This evaluation revealed a notable 39.2% maximum removal efficacy, positioning them as exceptional candidates for catalyzing environmental remediation and protection. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-96a658dbbaad4ef7b8a395ae283d75562025-08-20T03:05:23ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-08-0115111510.1038/s41598-025-14411-3Green synthesis and characterization of nitrogen-doped carbon dots for enhanced photocatalytic tylosin degradation in soilMaría Fernanda Cervantes-Alcaide0Jumanah Ghannam1Reham M. Aldahasi2Afrah E. Mohammed3Hafiz M. N. Iqbal4School of Science and Technology, University of SiegenDepartment of Biology, College of Science, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman UniversityDepartment of Biology, College of Science, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman UniversityDepartment of Biology, College of Science, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman UniversityBiomolecular Innovation Group, Laboratorio de Ciencias Naturales, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo LeónAbstract This study reports one-pot green synthesizing and characterizing nitrogen-doped carbon dots (N-CDs) with green-light-emitting fluorescent features. For the said purpose, citrus-containing pulp-free juice was extracted from the lemon (as a green carbon precursor) and subjected to a carbonization process in the presence of urea as a doping agent. In addition, the characteristic-dependent factors, i.e., carbonization temperature (i.e., 160 °C, 210 °C, and 260 °C) and reaction periods (i.e., 2 and 4 h), were also varied to investigate their influence on the synthesis and characteristic attributes of N-CDs. Under UV light at 365 nm, the fabricated N-CDs exhibited strong green light emission up to different extents from light green to bright green range. Overall, the green-light-emitting fluorescent potential of all prepared N-CDs was found to be temperature and time-dependent. The UV–Vis spectral profile revealed characteristic absorption peaks of 288, 333, and 407 nm, confirming the formation of N-CDs. The FTIR profile revealed the functional group entities with evident peaks in 3345 cm−1, 2120 cm−1, and 1636 cm−1 regions corresponding to O–H, C=C, and NO2. The surface topology and size distribution characteristics were studied through SEM, TEM, and Image J analysis. The results showed uniformly dispersed particles with a minimum average diameter of 6.63 ± 0.07 nm. The EDS/EDX analysis results validated the elemental composition of the samples, distinctly indicating that carbon predominates as the major element across all samples. The catalytic breakdown potential of N-CDs was tested against Tylosin removal from contaminated soil samples (identified and quantified through LC–MS/MS analysis). This evaluation revealed a notable 39.2% maximum removal efficacy, positioning them as exceptional candidates for catalyzing environmental remediation and protection.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-14411-3Carbon dotsNanofabricationGreen one-pot synthesisBioremediation |
| spellingShingle | María Fernanda Cervantes-Alcaide Jumanah Ghannam Reham M. Aldahasi Afrah E. Mohammed Hafiz M. N. Iqbal Green synthesis and characterization of nitrogen-doped carbon dots for enhanced photocatalytic tylosin degradation in soil Scientific Reports Carbon dots Nanofabrication Green one-pot synthesis Bioremediation |
| title | Green synthesis and characterization of nitrogen-doped carbon dots for enhanced photocatalytic tylosin degradation in soil |
| title_full | Green synthesis and characterization of nitrogen-doped carbon dots for enhanced photocatalytic tylosin degradation in soil |
| title_fullStr | Green synthesis and characterization of nitrogen-doped carbon dots for enhanced photocatalytic tylosin degradation in soil |
| title_full_unstemmed | Green synthesis and characterization of nitrogen-doped carbon dots for enhanced photocatalytic tylosin degradation in soil |
| title_short | Green synthesis and characterization of nitrogen-doped carbon dots for enhanced photocatalytic tylosin degradation in soil |
| title_sort | green synthesis and characterization of nitrogen doped carbon dots for enhanced photocatalytic tylosin degradation in soil |
| topic | Carbon dots Nanofabrication Green one-pot synthesis Bioremediation |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-14411-3 |
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