Recycling of waste into valuable products plays a significant role in sustainable development. Herein, we report the conversion of vehicle exhaust waste soot into water-soluble fluorescent carbon dots via a simple acid refluxion method. The obtained carbon dots were characterized using microscopic and spectroscopic techniques. Microscopic techniques reveal that the prepared carbon material is spherical in shape with an average particle size of ∼4 nm. Spectroscopic studies exhibited that the carbon dots are emissive in nature, and the emission is excitation-dependent. Further, the prepared carbon dots were successfully utilized as a fluorescent probe for the detection of tartrazine with a limit of detection of 26 nM. The sensitivity of carbon dots has also been realized by the detection of trace amounts of tartrazine in commercial soft drinks. Overall, this work demonstrates the conversion air pollutant soot into value-added fluorescent nanomaterials toward sensing applications.
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