Eco Friendly Synthesis of Carbon Dot by Hydrothermal Method for Metal Ions Salt Identification

In this work, we report the synthesis method of carbon quantum dots (CDs) using the one-step method for fast and effective metal ion determination. Ascorbic acid was used as an inexpensive and environmentally friendly precursor. High-pressure and high-temperature reactors were used for this purpose. Microscopic characterization revealed the size of CDs was in the range of 2–6 nm and they had an ordered structure. The photoluminescence properties of the CDs depend on the process temperature, and we obtained the highest PL spectra for 6 h of hydrothermal reaction. The maximum emission spectra depend poorly on synthesis time. Further characterization shows that CDs are a good contender for sensing Fe(3+) in aqueous systems and can detect concentrations up to 0.49 ppm. The emission spectra efficiency was enhanced by up to 200% with synthesis time.