Ecofriendly Synthesis of Fluorescent Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Dots from Coccinia grandis and its Efficient Catalytic Application in the Reduction of Methyl Orange.

Facile and fast hydrothermal process for the synthesis of nitrogen doped carbon dots (N-CDs) from Coccinia grandis (C. grandis) extract is discussed here. The morphology of prepared N-CDs was characterized by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) method. The optical properties of the prepared N-CDs were revealed by Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis) and photoluminescence spectroscopy. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopic techniques were employed to examine the crystallinity and graphitization of prepared N-CDs. The nitrogen doping was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The prepared nitrogen doped carbon dots released blue fluorescence at 405 nm beneath the excitation of 310 nm. The prepared N-CDs influenced the catalytic performance of NaBH4 in the reduction of methyl orange. The rate constant for the reduction of organic dye (methyl orange) by NaBH4 in the presence of the prepared green catalyst was also determined.