Emerging Nano Carbons

Researchers examined how proteins bind to charged graphene quantum dots, assessing the impact on toxicity, cellular uptake, and light emission.

Researchers at Gannan Medical University and Shanghai University developed a gold nanoparticle–graphene oxide quantum dot (AuNPs/GOQDs) Schottky junction nanocomposite that achieved over 97% bacterial eradication in vitro and approximately 99% wound closure in mice within 9 days under 460 nm LED irradiation. The work advances graphene quantum dot applications by demonstrating that pairing GOQDs with AuNPs suppresses charge recombination to boost reactive oxygen species output while simultaneously enhancing photothermal conversion, offering a drug-free pathway to address multidrug-resistant infections.

Fullerene C60, a cage-like carbon nanomaterial discovered in 1985, is under active research for applications in organic electronics, photovoltaics, lubricants, coatings, biomedical systems, and perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells. Within the advanced carbon materials sector, C60 occupies a distinct niche from fiber- or graphene-based materials, with its electron-accepting properties and molecular tunability driving continued interest in energy and specialty coating applications.