Professor Volodymyr Zaitsev

Professor, D.Sc., PhD, Corr. Member Acad. of Sci. of Ukraine

CONFINAMENTO QUÂNTICO DE PONTOS DE CARBONO COM FLUORESCÊNCIA ALTA EM UNS NANOREATORES À BASE DE SÍLICA

APQ1 - Auxílio à Pesquisa básica - 2019
(E-26/210.547/2019 (249230))

Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) are a unique new class of highly fluorescent water soluble low-toxic nano-objects that
have great potential in analytical chemistry, biotechnology and nanomedicine. In contrast to other known nanomaterials
such as noble metal nanoclusters, semiconductor quantum dots, organic metal halide hybrids, CQDs exhibit numerous
superior merits such as high photostability, low toxicity and low-cost. Finally, production and application of CQDs are very
sustainable. They can be obtained from various organic objects and degrade in natural environment. CQDs can be
obtained by oxidation of large carbon objects such as carbon nanotubes, graphite or graphene oxide. Contrary, they can
be constructed from organic molecules in “bottom-up” approach. It is obvious that pyrolytic decomposition of organics
cannot provide efficient control of CQDs yield, its purity, and size. Therefore, such important properties of CQDs as: size,
geometry, nature of surface functional groups, and heteroatom doping range varies from synthesis to synthesis. The aim
of the project is development of the procedure, allowing robust preparation of CQDs having reproducible photochemical
properties, better size-distribution and higher purity. In order to reach of the project aim, silica gels will be used as a
nanoreactor to confine the growth and shape of carbon nanoparticles. The CQDs will be obtained under “bottom-up”
approach by pyrolysis of appropriate organic compounds adsorbed in silica gel pores. Different samples of silica gels
having pores within 3 -12 nm range will be studied to evaluate influence of the pore size on CQDs properties.
Additionally, silica surface will be impregnated by amine/sulfhydryl fragments to increase specific interaction between the
host and the precursor, and for doping of CQDs with nitrogen/sulfur.

Laboratório de adsorventes para análise química, proteção de ambiente e biomedicina (LAQAPAB)
Departamento de Química, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio)
tel: +55 21 980551969,
e-mail: vnzaitsev@puc-rio.br,
http://zaitsev.usuarios.rdc.puc-rio.br

ORCID