Fluorescent carbon dots obtained from chitosan gel

In this communication we report the preparation of fluorescent carbon dots (CDs) from chitosan gel. We also studied the photoluminescent (PL) properties of CDs prepared in different pH conditions. While CDs prepared at pH 3 give an intense sharp blue fluorescence, those prepared at pH 1 or 5 give a broad emission. In addition, we also investigated CDs prepared from chitosan/Ag and chitosan/Au nanocomposites. It was observed that although the emission was broad and less well defined, there was an enhancement of PL emission for the CDs prepared from chitosan/Ag or chitosan/Au nanocomposites.