Carbon Dots/Polymer Composites: Synthesis, Characterization and Applications

A special issue of Coatings (ISSN 2079-6412). This special issue belongs to the section "Surface Engineering for Energy Harvesting, Conversion, and Storage".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2023) | Viewed by 8900

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Institute of Forest Science, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon 24341, Korea
Interests: carbon dots; nanocellulose; metal nanoparticles; optical sensors; catalysis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We would like to invite you to submit your work to this Special Issue on “Carbon Dots/Polymer Composites: Synthesis, Characterization and Applications”.

Carbon dots (CDs) are the newest form of zero-dimensional carbon. These were serendipitously discovered in the year 2004 and since then have gained tremendous attention thanks to their spectacular properties, including inherent fluorescence, low toxicity, high stability, aqueous solubility, and chemical functionalizability. They are continuously finding applicability in diverse fields ranging from sensing, biomedicine, catalysis, optoelectronics, and forensics. A recent trend in CDs research is the preparation of CDs/polymer composites and the exploration of their applications. The polymer acts as a support for the CDs and prevents their aggregation, and it may also add benefit by improving the composite’s mechanical properties. This field of research extended the applicability of CDs to solid-state optical devices, fluorescent inks, packaging films, anticorrosive coatings, etc. This Special Issue focuses on the synthesis of composites of CDs with various natural and synthetic polymers, their characterization, and their applications. Concerning the multifunctional nature of CDs, this Special Issue will be an interdisciplinary volume comprising fundamental aspects of CDs/polymer composites preparation, properties, and their widespread applications. Review articles with deep understanding and analysis are also welcome.

In particular, the topics of interest include but are not limited to

  • Carbon dots composites with natural polymers such as chitosan, cellulose, plant gums, etc.
  • Carbon dots composites with synthetic polymers such as PVA, PLA, PVP, etc.
  • Study of binding interactions between CDs and polymers.
  • CDs/polymer composites for smart packaging applications.
  • Applications such as solid-state optical devices, sensors, fluorescent inks, and coatings.

Dr. Rajkumar Bandi
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • carbon dots
  • polymers
  • thin films
  • packaging
  • polymer crosslinking

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 3444 KiB  
Article
Impact of Zinc Oxide Nano Particles, Poly Vinyl Alcohol, and Natural Polymers on Quality Characteristics of Nanocomposite Film
by Gurpreet Singh, Sivakumar Shanmugam, Rekha Chawla, Nitika Goel, Gopika Talwar, Santosh Kumar Mishra and Manish Kumar Chatli
Coatings 2023, 13(2), 420; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings13020420 - 13 Feb 2023
Viewed by 1850
Abstract
The use of biodegradable films to replace the synthetic polymers prepared from natural polymers has been strongly limited owing to their poor barrier and mechanical properties. The modification was carried out with a partial replacement of natural polymers with synthetic polymer, such as [...] Read more.
The use of biodegradable films to replace the synthetic polymers prepared from natural polymers has been strongly limited owing to their poor barrier and mechanical properties. The modification was carried out with a partial replacement of natural polymers with synthetic polymer, such as PVA (poly vinyl alcohol), to increase the barrier properties of the film. The addition of an active ingredient in the form of nanoparticles such as Zinc Oxide (ZnO), enhanced the properties of the packaging materials compared to the conventional composite film, to which sonication imparted an excellent dispersion of nanoparticles in the slurry. The film thickness, water vapor permeability, film solubility, and mechanical properties of the composite, the composite with PVA, and the composite with PVA and ZnO nanoparticle film (active film) values differed significantly (p < 0.05) between the samples. The Z-average diameters of the composite slurry, the composite with PVA slurry, and the composite with PVA and ZnO nanoparticle slurry ranged from 242.20 to 1021.03 in nanometers (d-nm). The PDI and zeta potential of the samples were also analyzed. The antibacterial activity of the nanoparticles showed a distinct inhibition against Gram-positive Bacillus cereus and Gram-negative Escherichia coli in the treated films counterpart to the control films. The active film conferred excellent mechanical and barrier properties, including antibacterial properties. Full article
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Review

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31 pages, 4537 KiB  
Review
Carbon Dot/Polymer Composites with Various Precursors and Their Sensing Applications: A Review
by Muhammad Zulfajri, Sri Sudewi, Sri Ismulyati, Akhtar Rasool, Muhammad Adlim and Genin Gary Huang
Coatings 2021, 11(9), 1100; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings11091100 - 12 Sep 2021
Cited by 30 | Viewed by 6015
Abstract
Carbon dots (CDs) have generated much interest because of their significant fluorescence (FL) properties, extraordinary photophysical attributes, and long-term colloidal stability. CDs have been regarded as a prospective carbon nanomaterial for various sensing applications because of their low toxicity, strong and broad optical [...] Read more.
Carbon dots (CDs) have generated much interest because of their significant fluorescence (FL) properties, extraordinary photophysical attributes, and long-term colloidal stability. CDs have been regarded as a prospective carbon nanomaterial for various sensing applications because of their low toxicity, strong and broad optical absorption, high chemical stability, rapid transfer properties, and easy modification. To improve their functionality, CD/polymer composites have been developed by integrating polymers into CDs. CD/polymer composites have diversified because of their easy preparation and applications in sensing, optoelectronics, semiconductors, molecular delivery, and various commercial fields. Many review articles are available regarding the preparation and applications of CDs. Some review articles describing the production and multiple applications of the composites are available. However, no such article has focused on the types of precursors, optical properties, coating characteristics, and specific sensing applications of CD/polymer composites. This review aimed to highlight and summarize the current progress of CD/polymer composites in the last five years (2017–2021). First, we overview the precursors used for deriving CDs and CD/polymer composites, synthesis methods for preparing CDs and CD/polymer composites, and the optical properties (absorbance, FL, emission color, and quantum yield) and coating characteristics of the composites. Most carbon and polymer precursors were dominated by synthetic precursors, with citric acid and polyvinyl alcohol widely utilized as carbon and polymer precursors, respectively. Hydrothermal treatment for CDs and interfacial polymerization for CDs/polymers were frequently performed. The optical properties of CDs and CD/polymer composites were almost identical, denoting that the optical characters of CDs were well-maintained in the composites. Then, the chemical, biological, and physical sensing applications of CD/polymer composites are categorized and discussed. The CD/polymer composites showed good performance as chemical, biological, and physical sensors for numerous targets based on FL quenching efficiency. Finally, remaining challenges and future perspectives for CD/polymer composites are provided. Full article
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