Microwave-Assisted One-Pot Synthesis of Metal-Free Nitrogen and Phosphorus Dual-Doped Nanocarbon for Electrocatalysis and Cell Imaging

Metal-free nitrogen and phosphorus dual-doped, electrocatlytically active, functionalized nanocarbon (FNC) and photoluminescent carbon nanodots (PCNDs) are simultaneously synthesized using a facile one-pot microwave-assisted process. The successful incorporation of phosphorus and nitrogen to oxygen rich PCNDs and FNC are confirmed using surface morphological and spectral studies. The characterization studies of FNC further reveals the presence of edge-plane-like sites/defects and remarkable electrocatalytical activity. In addition to the electroctalytical activity, FNC shows attractive properties as a metal-free oxygen reduction catalyst and is resistant to methanol crossover effects in alkaline media. The 5-10 nm PCNDs, which exhibit blue fluorescence under UV exposure, are successfully used for bioimaging applications.