One-Step and One-Precursor Hydrothermal Synthesis of Carbon Dots with Superior Antibacterial Activity
Zhiguo Ye, Guixin Li, Jing Lei, Mei Liu, Yan Jin, Baoxin Li
Abstract
Discovering efficient antibacterial materials is crucial in the area of increasing drug resistance. Herein, we synthesized carbon dots (C-dots) with superior antibacterial activity through a simple one-step hydrothermal method. In this method, p-phenylenediamine serves as not only the carbon source but also the origin for the functional group anchored on the obtained C-dots. The antibacterial activity of the obtained C-dots was tested against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. The minimum bactericidal concentrations of the synthesized C-dots against S. aureus and E. coli were 2 and 30 μg/mL, respectively, which are lower than that of previously reported C-dots. The antibacterial mechanism was investigated, and the results indicated that a large number of −NH3+ groups on the C-dots’ surface enhanced their antibacterial activity. Besides, the C-dots exhibited negligible cytotoxicity.