Antimicrobial Activity and Characterization of Pomegranate Peel-Based Carbon Dots
Waseem Akhtar Qureshi, B. Vivekanandan, J. Altrin Jayaprasath, Daoud Ali, Saud Alarifi, Kalim Deshmukh
Abstract
This investigation reports the use of agrowaste pomegranate peels as an economical source for the production of fluorescent carbon dots (C-dots) and their potential application as an antimicrobial agent. The carbon dots were prepared through low-temperature carbonization at 200°C for 120 min. The obtained C-dots were found to be small in size and exhibited blue luminescence at 350 nm. Further, the synthesized C-dots were characterized with the help of analytical instruments such as DLS, UV-visible, FT-IR, TEM, and fluorescence spectrophotometer. Antimicrobial activity of the C-dot PP was estimated by the agar diffusion method and MIC. S. aureus and K. pneumoniae are showing susceptibility towards C-dot PP when compared to the standard and showing a moderate activity against P. aeruginosa and resistance towards E. coli. The obtained C dot PPs were found to be around 5-9 nm in size confirmed from DLS analysis and supported by TEM. The synthesized C-dots were investigated to understand their microbial efficiency against pathogens and found to have antimicrobial efficiency. These results suggest that pomegranate peels are a potential source of carbon dots with antimicrobial efficiency.