pH-sensitive fluorescent carbon nanoparticles for monitoring bacterial metabolic activity
The influence of precursor composition, solvent, and hydrothermal synthesis temperature on the chemical nature, thermal stability, and photoluminescent properties of carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) was investigated. TPD-MS and thermogravimetric analysis revealed that the CNPs consist of aliphatic and unsaturated fragments with carboxyl and hydroxyl groups. Increasing the synthesis temperature from 170 to 200 °C and using citric acid promotes the formation of more carbonized nanoparticles with higher contribution of conjugated carbon domains. CNPs exhibit pH-sensitive emission (pH 3–6), are nontoxic toward E. coli, providing a proof-of-concept fluorescent monitoring approach for bacterial metabolic activity and the effectiveness of antimicrobial action.
Authors
- S.V. Bondaruk (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2052-8641)
- Tetiana Ye. Keda (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1781-5487)
- Oleksandr V. Mischanchuk (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6707-3341)
- Ruslan Mariychuk (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8464-4142)
- Vladyslav V. Lisnyak (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6820-1445)
- N. V. Diyuk (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4540-6704)
- Rodion Korzh
Institutions
- National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (UA)
- University of Prešov (SK)
- Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv (UA)
- Chuiko Institute of Surface Chemistry (UA)
- Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry (UA)
- M.G. Kholodny Institute of Botany (UA)
- Enamine (Ukraine) (UA)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Molecular Crystals and Liquid Crystals
- Published
- 2026-06-25
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1080/15421406.2026.2689678
- Primary Topic
- Carbon and Quantum Dots Applications
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00