Gram-scale synthesis of single-crystalline graphene quantum dots derived from lignin biomass

Renewable, cheap and green biomass resources could meet the urgent need for producing graphene quantum dots (GQDs) on a large scale if high quality can be obtained. Here we report the gram-scale synthesis of single-crystalline GQDs derived from lignin biomass via a two-step method. The synthetic pro...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Green chemistry : an international journal and green chemistry resource : GC 2018, Vol.20 (6), p.1383-1390
Main Authors: Ding, Zheyuan, Li, Fengfeng, Wen, Jialong, Wang, Xiluan, Sun, Runcang
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biocompatibility
Biomass
Crystal structure
Crystallinity
Fluorescence
Graphene
Green chemistry
Honeycomb construction
Lignin
Medical imaging
Quantum dots
Single crystals
Sustainable development
Synthesis
Upconversion
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Summary:Renewable, cheap and green biomass resources could meet the urgent need for producing graphene quantum dots (GQDs) on a large scale if high quality can be obtained. Here we report the gram-scale synthesis of single-crystalline GQDs derived from lignin biomass via a two-step method. The synthetic processes involve the oxidized cleavage step followed by the aromatic refusion step of alkali lignin molecules. Notably, this approach successively converts the biomass commonly considered as waste into a high-valued nanoscale product. The as-prepared single-crystalline GQDs, presenting a hexagonal honeycomb graphene network, are 1–3 atomic layers thick. Due to the bright fluorescence, up-conversion properties, long-term photostability, water solubility and biocompatibility, these high quality GQDs have potential to be excellent nanoprobes for multicolour bioimaging. The utilization of renewable biomass resources paves the way for green, low-cost and large-scale production of high quality GQDs and allows for the development of sustainable applications.
ISSN:1463-9262
1463-9270
DOI:10.1039/C7GC03218H