Divergent Responses of Carbon Nitride Dot‐Based Amorphous Species and Small Molecule Hybrids to Trace Level Analytes

Holzmann, Michael J.; Westphal, Eric R.; Plackowski, Kenneth M.; Meyerson, Melissa L.; Grey, John K.; Ghosh, Koushik

doi:10.1002/chem.202501495

Title: Divergent Responses of Carbon Nitride Dot‐Based Amorphous Species and Small Molecule Hybrids to Trace Level Analytes

Journal Article · Fri May 23 00:00:00 UTC 2025 · Chemistry - A European Journal

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.202501495 · OSTI ID:2584038

Holzmann, Michael J. ^[1]; Westphal, Eric R. ^[1]; Plackowski, Kenneth M. ^[1]; Meyerson, Melissa L. ^[1]; Grey, John K. ^[1];

^[1]

Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

Bottom-up synthesis of carbon nitride dots (CNDs) offers a versatile platform for the creation of diverse nanomaterials with tunable properties. Here, we report a facile hydrothermal approach using citric acid (CA) and urea (U) as precursors to synthesize CNDs with varying degrees of condensation and crystallinity. By carefully controlling reaction conditions and post-synthetic treatments, we obtained two distinct fractions: a polycrystalline fraction composed of small-molecule hybrids and an amorphous fraction containing CNDs. We then sought to understand how the dominant species in these fractions impact sensing abilities using trace-level explosive exemplars. In conclusion, the results have important implications for sensing and related applications where understanding the complex interplay between synthetic conditions and post-synthetic processing play vital roles in determining the final properties of CND materials.

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Research Organization:: Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) Program; USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)

Grant/Contract Number:: NA0003525

OSTI ID:: 2584038

Journal Information:: Chemistry - A European Journal, Journal Name: Chemistry - A European Journal Journal Issue: 37 Vol. 31; ISSN 0947-6539; ISSN 1521-3765

Publisher:: WileyCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Title: Divergent Responses of Carbon Nitride Dot‐Based Amorphous Species and Small Molecule Hybrids to Trace Level Analytes

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