Poly(vinyl)alcohol film composited with carbon dots from water hyacinth stalks based on gamma irradiation for the UV blocking film

Abstract

UV-radiation in the range of 200 nm to 400 nm from sunlight can inhibit the photosynthesis process in plants, while visible light in the range of 400 nm to 700 nm promotes photosynthesis and plant growth. In this work, poly(vinyl)alcohol-carbon dots composite film (PVA-CDs film) was developed as a UV-blocking film due to the excellent optical properties of carbon dots and the film-forming properties of PVA. For the synthesis of carbon dots using gamma irradiation, water hyacinth stalk, an invasive aquatic plant, was used as a carbon source. The result showed that PVA-CDs composite film exhibited excellent UV absorption (200 nm to 400 nm, 91%) and fluorescence emission in the visible region. Furthermore, PVA-CDs composite film displayed a blue-to-red light emission of 57.2%, and the UV emission also significantly decreased.