Thermo-optical properties of luminescent carbon dots produced from biomass of Orbignya speciosa (babassu coconut)

Maykol Christian Damasceno Oliveira, Adriano Almeida Silva, Tânia Patrícia Silva-Silva, Jhaemely Gabrielly Vieira Silva, José Ferreira da Silva Júnior, David Sanchez, Maria José Valenzuela Bell, Hans Anderson Garcia, Bartolomeu Cruz Viana, Mauricio Terrones, Rubens Silva Costa, Francisco Eroni Paz Santos

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Exploring materials with high nonlinearities derived from organic and biological sources has become a significant focus within the scientific community. Among these materials, carbon dots (CDs) synthesized from biomass have emerged as promising candidates due to their sustainable and cost-effective production methods. This study synthesized CDs from Orbignya speciosa (babassu coconut) biomass via a hydrothermal route. UV–visible absorption and Infrared spectrum analysis revealed characteristic bands associated with the formation of dots and the electronic transitions π–π* from aromatic C=C bonds in the CDs’ core and n–π* transitions of surface carboxylate groups, photoluminescence as a function of temperature and lifetime decay measurements show that the photoluminescence mechanisms in these materials due this transitions comes from electronic indirect transitions from primary sources of the core and carbonyl boundings in the surface of the material, additionally, to this the Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) and Transmission Electronic Microscopy (TEM) give the structural properties of the dots, amorphous and with a large size distribution with a mean size of (21 ± 1) nm. Thermal lens spectroscopy (TLS) was employed to determine the material's thermal diffusivity, reaching a maximum value of 2.03 × 10−7 m2/s as a function of dilution. The Z-scan technique under continuous wave (CW) excitation at 532 nm investigated nonlinear optical properties, yielding a maximum thermal nonlinear refractive index (n2(th)) value of −5.87 × 10−5 esu. Furthermore, the photothermal efficiency of the CDs was quantified at 505 nm, demonstrating a high absorption efficiency of 94.9 %, suggesting their potential application in photothermal therapies. These findings contribute to understanding babassu coconut CDs’ thermo-optical behavior, highlighting their promise for various practical applications, particularly in biomedicine.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number127000
JournalJournal of Molecular Liquids
Volume423
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 1 2025

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
  • Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Spectroscopy
  • Physical and Theoretical Chemistry
  • Materials Chemistry

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