Green Synthesis of Baby Pumpkin Derived Fluorescent Carbon Dots – A Potent Label-Free Probe for Cd2+ Determination

Graphical This study demonstrates a facile solvothermal approach to synthesizing green fluorescent carbon dots (G-CDs) using baby pumpkin as a natural precursor. The G-CDs, exhibiting strong fluorescence emission, high quantum yield, and excellent stability under various conditions, could be served as a potent label-free probe for Cd 2+ determination This study demonstrates a facile solvothermal approach to synthesizing green fluorescent carbon dots (G-CDs) using baby pumpkin as a natural precursor. The G-CDs exhibit strong fluorescence emission at 547 nm under excitation at 467 nm, and the highest quantum yield reaching 17.5 % in acetone, making them suitable for a range of applications including sensing, bioimaging, catalysis, and drug delivery. The G-CDs demonstrate excellent stability under various conditions, such as prolonged light exposure, high salt concentration, extended periods, and elevated temperatures. Furthermore, the G-CDs show a good linear relationship with Cd 2+ within the concentration range of 0 to 16.5 μmol/L, with a linear correlation coefficient of 0.9920. The detection limit (LOD) was calculated to be 0.68 μmol/L. The recovery rate ranges between 85.66% to 97.43%, indicating their potential for use in environmental metal ion detection. This study provides a convenient and economical method for the synthesis of G-CDs using baby pumpkin as a precursor, offering a sustainable alternative for various applications in sensing, imaging, catalysis, and drug delivery.