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@article{177841,
        author = {Prathik Kekare and Suchir Dornala and Sathvik B C},
        title = {Green Synthesis of Carbon Quantum Dots from Citrus-Based Citric Acid and Ascorbic Acid Precursors: Investigation of Polyethylene Glycol’s Role in Size Modulation},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2025},
        volume = {11},
        number = {12},
        pages = {3328-3329},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=177841},
        abstract = {Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) have garnered increasing interest in recent years for their distinctive physicochemical properties, such as strong photoluminescence, high water solubility, and biocompatibility, which make them suitable for diverse applications including bioimaging, drug delivery, and optoelectronic devices. In this study, we propose an environmentally benign synthesis pathway for CQDs using naturally derived citric acid from citrus fruit pulp (lemon and orange), as well as synthetic citric and ascorbic acid powders. Further, we investigate the effect of polyethylene glycol (PEG-400) on the size and dispersion uniformity of the CQDs. Characterization was carried out using UV-Visible spectroscopy, photoluminescence (PL) emission analysis, dynamic light scattering (DLS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Our results demonstrate that PEG addition significantly reduces CQD particle size and enhances monodispersity, likely due to steric stabilization and surface passivation. These findings suggest a facile, sustainable route for the scalable production of high-quality CQDs with tunable features suitable for green nanotechnology applications.},
        keywords = {},
        month = {May},
        }