Carbon Quantum Dots | 20 Jun 2019

A team of scientists in Council of Scientific & Industrial Research-North East Institute of Science and Technology (CSIR-NEIST), Assam has developed a chemical process that turns ‘dirty’ coal into a biomedical ‘dot’ to help detect cancer cells.

• They have applied for a patent for their chemical method of producing Carbon Quantum Dots (CQDs) from cheap, abundant, low-quality and high-sulphur coals.

Carbon Quantum Dots (CQD)

• CQDs are carbon-based nanomaterials whose size is less than 10 nm, or nanometre.
• Carbon-based nanomaterials are used as diagnostic tools for bio-imaging, especially in detecting cancer cells, for chemical sensing and in optoelectronics. The CQDs that the CSIR-NEIST team developed emit a bluish colour with high-stability.
• Cost advantage: The CSIR-NEIST technology can produce approximately 1 litre of CQDs per day at a low cost to become an import substitute.
  
  • The developed CQDs are cheaper than imported CQD.
  • CQDs are futuristic materials whose demand in India has been increasing leading to a considerable volume of import.
• Environment-friendly: The process is environment-friendly and consumes lesser water than methods elsewhere. The process can also be recycled with a manageable supply chain.
• Source material: Abundant, low-quality Indian coal not directly suitable for thermal electricity production.