Biocompatible carbon nitride quantum dots nanozymes with high nitrogen vacancies enhance peroxidase-like activity for broadspectrum antibacterial

Nanozyme antibacterial agents with high enzyme-like catalytic activity and strong bacteria-binding ability have provided an alternative method to efficiently disinfect drug-resistance microorganism.Herein,the carbon nitride quantum dots(CNQDs)nanozymes with high nitrogen vacancies(NVs)were mass-productively prepared by a simple ultrasonic-crushing method assisted by propylene glycol.It was found that the NVs of CNQDs were stemmed from the selective breaking of surface N-(C)_(2)sites,accounting for 6.2%.Experiments and density functional theory(DFT)simulations have demonstrated that the presence of NVs can alter the local electron distribution and extend theπ-electron delocalization to enhance the peroxidase-like activity.Biocompatible CNQDs could enter inside microorganisms by diffusion and elevate the bacteria-binding ability,which enhanced the accurate and rapid attack of·OH to the microorganisms.The sterilization rate of CNQDs against Gram-negative bacteria(E.coli),Gram-positive bacteria(S.aureus,B.subtilis),fungi(R.solani)reaches more than 99%.Thus,this work showed great potential for engineered nanozymes for broad-spectrum antibacterial in biomedicine and environmental protection.

Amorphous B-doped graphitic carbon nitride quantum dots with high photoluminescence quantum yield of near 90% and their sensitive detection of Fe^(2+)/Cd^(2+)

Graphitic carbon nitride quantum dots(CNQDs) are emerging as attractive photoluminescent(PL)materials with excellent application potential in fluorescence imaging and heavy-metal ion detection. However, three limitations, namely, low quantum yields(QYs), self-quenching,and excitation-dependent PL emission behaviors, severely impede the commercial applications of crystalline CNQDs.Here we address these three challenges by synthesizing borondoped amorphous CNQDs via a hydrothermal process followed by the top±down cutting approach. Structural disorder endows the amorphous boron-doped CNQDs(B-CNQDs)with superior elastic strain performance over a wide range of pH values, thus effectively promoting mass transport and reducing exciton quenching. Boron as a dopant could fine-tune the electronic structure and emission properties of the PL material to achieve excitation-independent emission via the formation of uniform boron states. As a result, the amorphous B-CNQDs show unprecedented fluorescent stability(i.e., no obvious fading after two years) and a high QY of 87.4%;these values indicate that the quantum dots obtained are very promising fluorescent materials. Moreover, the B-CNQDs show bright-blue fluorescence under ultraviolet excitation when applied as ink on commercially available paper and are capable of the selective and sensitive detection of Fe^(2+) and Cd^(2+) in the parts-per-billion range. This work presents a novel avenue and scientific insights on amorphous carbon-based fluorescent materials for photoelectrical devices and sensors.