Photoluminescent carbogenic nanoparticles directly derived from crude biomass

We present an environmentally benign, energy efficient and readily scalable approach to synthesize photoluminescent carbogenic nanoparticles directly from soft tissue biomass. Our approach relies on the pyrolytic decomposition of grass that gives rise to the formation of well-defined nanoparticles. The carbogenic nanoparticles can be readily surface modified, generating a series of highly selective photoluminescent materials that exhibit remarkable stability upon prolonged exposure to aggressive, high-temperature, high-salinity environment.