I tried making carbon quantum dots by microwaving aqueous solutions of citric acid as a simple science outreach activity. I followed this literature precedent ( Milosavljevic, V., et al. J Metallomics Nanotechnol 3 (2014): 16-22.). I used to get a yellow coloured liquid which gave greenish-blue fluorescence. Recently I tried using sugar with citric acid which gave a dark brownish coloured liquid with sharp green fluorescence. Sometimes I was able to make yellow fluorescence by varying the conditions of the microwave. Lastly, I observed that shining uv-light on roasted or boiled oil (even in food) gave a very sharp green fluorescence. I am not sure if these are all examples of carbon quantum dots or simply some other fluorescent materials which arise from carbon. Is there a way to confirm this? Are there any precedents of other fluorescent compounds in similar reactions? Since I am not working in a lab currently so I do not have access to TEM facility. I do not have enough funds in science outreach to commercially carry out a detailed TEM investigation. Any insights in this matter will be very helpful.
You really need to do UV/vis absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy to compare the characteristics of your different products.
When you boiled residues of sugars/acids, it might from fluorescent materials in reaction mixture, interaction between sugar residues and acids generally from (glycated) product which are analysed by fluorescence spectrometer technique
@Bipin Thanks a lot! If you know some good author/review in this field please suggest.
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