Facile Synthesis of Nitrogen‐Rich Carbon Dots as Fertilizers for Mung Bean Sprouts

• DOI: 10.1002/adsu.201800132
• Publication Date: 2018-12-27T11:15:08Z
• Authors: Aiwu Wang; Fengwen Kang; Zhigang Wang; Qingguo Shao; Zhe Li; Guangyu Zhu; Jian Lu; Yang Yang Li
• Keywords: 2. Zero hunger; 02 engineering and technology; 0210 nano-technology

AbstractNitrogen‐doped carbon‐dots (N‐CDs) are synthesized using a solid‐state method and applied as nanofertilizers. Specifically, 70 g of mung bean seeds are cultivated in the aqueous solution of N‐CDs (0.2 mg mL−1) and yields 646 g of bean sprouts; this yield is significantly higher than that obtained in the pure water control (i.e., 550 g of bean sprouts from 70 g of beans). Furthermore, blue florescence is observed during the sprouting process, which gradually migrates from the beans to the root ends, implying the absorption and migration of the N‐CDs during this process. This work demonstrates that the N‐CDs not only serve as a new fertilizer for promoting plant growth but also enable in vivo monitoring of the plant growth progress of plants, opening up new possibilities of CDs‐related materials for future agricultural applications.