Antioxidant-oxidant dual action of carbon dots obtained through thermal processing of citric acid
Oxidative stress caused by reactive oxygen species is at the origin of several diseases, creating a need for a compelling new generation of antioxidant agents. This study reports on the synthesis of carbon dots (C-dots) from citric acid and evaluates their antioxidant properties. C-dots were obtaine...
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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Next Materials |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949822825002746 |
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| Summary: | Oxidative stress caused by reactive oxygen species is at the origin of several diseases, creating a need for a compelling new generation of antioxidant agents. This study reports on the synthesis of carbon dots (C-dots) from citric acid and evaluates their antioxidant properties. C-dots were obtained via a solventless thermal degradation of citric acid at 240°C studying the process with in-situ temperature resolved infrared spectroscopy. The blue-emitting fluorescent C-dots have an average dimension of 10 nm and exhibit antioxidant and oxidant activities. This surprising dual nature, in particular the ability of generating singlet oxygen under UV irradiation, was confirmed by colorimetric assays. The citric acid C-dots exhibited a radical scavenging efficiency of 90 % and retained the antioxidant activity for over six days, demonstrating high stability in aqueous environments and showing a better long-term stability than traditional antioxidants like ascorbic acid. These results emphasize the potential of citric acid C-dots in reducing the oxidative stress in different environments. These findings underscore the potential of citric acid-derived C-dots as versatile, stable, and cost-effective materials for mitigating oxidative stress. Moreover, when photo-stimulated by UV light, these C-dots behave as oxidant agent for singlet oxygen generation. |
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| ISSN: | 2949-8228 |