Skip to main content

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Mater.
Sec. Carbon-Based Materials
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fmats.2024.1478418
This article is part of the Research Topic Renewable Biosourced Carbon Materials Derived From Biomass and Their Biocomposites Fabrication for Innovative Applications View all 3 articles

Valorization of Nopal Wastes to Produce Quantum Dots: Optimizing Synthesis and Exploring in Smart Textile Applications

Provisionally accepted
Nancy Acelas Soto Nancy Acelas Soto 1*Jesús Baltazar Mosqueda Jesús Baltazar Mosqueda 1,2Juan Esteban Pinillos-Bernal Juan Esteban Pinillos-Bernal 1Mauricio Vásquez-Rendón Mauricio Vásquez-Rendón 1Angélica Forgionny Angélica Forgionny 1
  • 1 Universidad de Medellín, Medellín, Colombia
  • 2 University of the Wetland of the State of Michoacan de Ocampo, Sahuayo, Michoacan, Mexico

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Quantum carbon dots (QCDs) were efficiently synthesized from post-extraction residues generated during nopal fabric production using a hydrothermal treatment. These QCDs were applied to nopal fabrics, enhancing their UV solar radiation absorption. The synthesized QCDs exhibited fluorescence emissions in the 200-300 nm range. An eco-friendly dispersion was created by incorporating QCDs into TiO2 for use in smart textiles, which underlines our commitment to maintaining a sustainable process. Bright and fluorescent patterns were successfully applied to commercial and nopal fabrics using a spray printing technique. Additionally, the QCDs demonstrated pH-sensitive color changes, paving the way for practical applications. This work represents an initial step towards a circular economy by utilizing residues from nopal fabric production to synthesize quantum dots, which may be employed in smart textiles applications with UV absorption capabilities.

    Keywords: Nopal, waste, Quantum dots, Titanium oxide, Fluorescence sensing, smart textiles

    Received: 09 Aug 2024; Accepted: 03 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Acelas Soto, Baltazar Mosqueda, Pinillos-Bernal, Vásquez-Rendón and Forgionny. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Nancy Acelas Soto, Universidad de Medellín, Medellín, Colombia

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.