Lignin-derived carbon quantum dot/PVA films for totally blocking UV and high-energy blue light

Seok Won Park; So Hui Im; Woo Tae Hong; Hyun Kyoung Yang; Yun Kyung Jung

doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.131919

Lignin-derived carbon quantum dot/PVA films for totally blocking UV and high-energy blue light

Int J Biol Macromol. 2024 Apr 26;268(Pt 2):131919. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.131919. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Seok Won Park¹, So Hui Im¹, Woo Tae Hong², Hyun Kyoung Yang², Yun Kyung Jung³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Nanoscience and Engineering, Inje University, Gimhae 50834, Republic of Korea.
² Marine-Bionics convergence technology center, Pukyoung National University, Busan 48513, Republic of Korea; Department of Electrical, Electronics and Software Engineering, Pukyoung National University, Busan 48513, Republic of Korea.
³ Department of Nanoscience and Engineering, Inje University, Gimhae 50834, Republic of Korea; School of Biomedical Engineering, Inje University, Gimhae 50834, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: ykjung9@inje.ac.kr.

PMID: 38679248
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.131919

Abstract

Excessive exposure to UV and high-energy blue light (HEBL) can cause fatal eye and skin injuries. As a result, it is crucial to protect our bodies from UV and HEBL radiation. To achieve complete blocking of UV and HEBL, we developed a lignin-derived carbon quantum dot (L-CQD)/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) film. L-CQD was synthesized from lignin, a waste woody biomass, and then blended with a PVA matrix to create a flexible L-CQD/PVA film. Thanks to simultaneous UV and HEBL absorption characteristics and bright color of L-CQD, the PVA film with 0.375 wt% L-CQD demonstrated outstanding blocking efficiency: 100 % in UV-C, UV-B, and UV-A, and at least 99.9 % in HEBL. It also exhibited a 44 % increase in lightness and a 12 % enhancement in transparency compared to lignin/PVA film. The film's ability to block UV and HEBL was further demonstrated by reducing >40 % UV-induced ROS formation in both cancerous and normal cell lines (Hs 294T, HeLa, CCD-986sk, and L929), as well as by blocking blue laser diode (LD) and LED. Since the L-CQD/PVA film is simple to produce, environmentally friendly, flexible, and thermally stable, it is suitable for use as a protective coating against sunlight and harmful emissions from IT devices.

Keywords: Carbon quantum dots; Lignin; UV and high-energy blue light-blocking film.