Evaluation of Antibacterial Activity Properties of Carbon Quantum Dots Synthesized from Orange Juice

Abstract

In this study, carbon quantum dots (CDs) were synthesized through plasma processing of orange juice at atmospheric pressure and low temperature. The resulting CDs exhibited an average size of approximately 4.7 nm with a narrow distribution. A blue emission was observed with a peak wavelength of 460 nm under excitation at 390 nm. The formation of CDs was confirmed by UV-Vis absorption spectra and Raman scattering analyses. The antibacterial activities of the CDs were evaluated against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213 and Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 strains. Results indicated that inhibitory effects on bacterials strains were observed after 30 seconds of exposure for Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 and 5 minutes for Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213. The average antibacterial efficiency of the CDs sample against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli strains was found to be 62.1% and 57.0%, respectively.