Distance-Dependent Electron Transfer in Chemically Engineered Carbon Dots

The highly complex nanostructured framework of carbon dots (CDs) elevates scientific debates regarding their molecular and electronic structures. Here, we are able to highlight the free electron distribution on surface of newly synthesized Ru(III) and amine (ethylenediamine) doped carbon nano dots, Ru:CNDEDAs by identifying CD+• radical ions produced through photoinduced electron transfer to a model quinone drug, menadione (MQ) using laser flash photolysis corroborated with magnetic field of the order of 0.08 T. Amine passivation renders Ru:CNDEDAs surface to be a potential electron donor, which exhibits distance-dependent rapid electron transfer with MQ by chemical engineering with homocystein thiolactone (HCTL) in physiological condition. This modification is basically executed to mimic the post-translational modification (homocysteinylation) of protein–lysine residues by HCTL. Moreover, the high values of hyperfine splitting constants of CDs calculated from the magnetic field effect indicate the presen...