Implications of surface passivation on physicochemical and bioimaging properties of carbon dots
The prevalence of surface functionalized carbon dots (CDs) with intriguing fluorescence properties has given a new dimension to the field of bioimaging and is perceived as a promising alternative to quantum dots (QDs) In the present work, polyethylene glycol (PEG) and polyethyleneimine (PEI) passivated CDs have been synthesized by one step hydrothermal carbonization of chitosan. We have made a comparative analysis of the physicochemical and bioimaging properties of PEI based carbon dots (CD PEI) and PEG based carbon dots (CD PEG) This article further provides an insight into the role of surface functionality in controlling the bioimaging efficiencies of CDs. The concentration dependent cytotoxic effects of CD PEI and CD PEG were studied on normal (BHK 21) and cancer (A549) cell lines and we explored the competitive performance of CD PEI compared to CD PEG for bio applications.