Oxygen surface-functionalized carbon dots derived from waste cassava peel for UV shielding applications

Title

Oxygen surface-functionalized carbon dots derived from waste cassava peel for UV shielding applications

Creator

George, Jelby; Balachandran, Manoj

Description

UV radiation, falling in the wavelength range between 290nm and 400nm, which reaches the Earth's surface, is capable of causing potential damage to human cells, especially the skin. Sun protection products, which were earlier treated as skincare utilities, have now become indispensable and fall under the category of healthcare commodities. The requirement for skin- and environment-friendly UV absorbers that are reliable enough to substitute synthetic ones is spiking day by day. In this work, we report the conversion of waste cassava peels into UV-absorbing carbon dots through a facile one-step microwave-assisted solvothermal route. The as-synthesized carbon dots, when dispersed in NMP, show intense absorption in the UVA and UVB region, which can be effectively used for UV shielding applications. In-vitro studies based on transmittance data show that dispersion is capable of blocking 90% of the UV rays at a concentration of 0.2mg/mL, and at 0.5mg/mL, an SPF of 35+ was obtained, corresponding to a shielding capability of more than 97%. The conversion of cassava peel waste into UV-absorbing carbon dots adds to the value of this agricultural waste and, on crossing the compatibility standards, would provide a suitable alternative for existing synthetic UV shielding materials. 2026 Elsevier Ltd. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.

Source

Biomass and Bioenergy;Volume;211;Issue;;Article No.;109221;

Date

01-01-2026

Publisher

Elsevier Ltd

Subject

Agricultural waste; Biomass; Carbon nanomaterials; UV shielding; Waste valorization

Coverage

George J., Department of Physics and Electronics, Christ (Deemed To Be University), Bangalore, 560029, India; Balachandran M., Department of Physics and Electronics, Christ (Deemed To Be University), Bangalore, 560029, India

Rights

All Open Access; Hybrid Gold Open Access

Relation

ISSN: 9619534; CODEN: BMSBE

Format

online

Language

English

Type

Article

Identifier

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2026.109221

https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105034499796?origin=resultslist