ABSTRACT Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) have emerged as one of the most versatile and ignited domains, balancing the fundamental as well as applied research on a single podium. We have synthesised CQDs from biomass waste, i.e., banana peels and human hair‐based CQDs, (B‐CQDs and H‐CQDs respectively), with a step toward sustainable material utilization through waste‐derived nanocarbon synthesis, integrating structural characterization with optical property analysis to bridge material‐level understanding with application potential. Both these B‐CQDs and H‐CQDs have been comparatively scrutinized in order to set up a relation between the CQDs' properties and the choice of precursor for their synthesis according to their application‐related requirement. Various microstructural parameters have been estimated from the results of different characterizations and the plausible lattice specifications for CQDs have been explored. The verification and justification of these calculated parameters have been done from micrograph image calculations, i.e., high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR‐TEM) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED), to evidently present the results. We hereby present the thorough analysis of the optical properties (i.e., PL and TRPL lifetime of excitons) for both CQD samples and have presented the structural to the property correlation of the results with these calculated microstructural parameters and highlighting the impact of nanoscale lattice distortions on optical behavior. Photocatalyzed MB dye degradation along with statistical interpretation of TEM‐SAED outcomes, has been explored. This study establishes a direct link between precursor selection, microstructural characteristics and the photophysical response of waste‐derived CQDs, highlighting their tunability for targeted applications.
Singh et al. (Thu,) studied this question.