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Leather waste-derived carbon quantum dot-embedded hydrogels with bioinspired hair-like architectures: multifunctional integration for mechanosensing, pH monitoring, and antimicrobial/antioxidant applications
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DOI：10.1186/s42825-026-00243-y.png)
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Abstract
En 中文
Conventional leather manufacturing converts only similar to 20% of raw animal hides into finished products, leaving the majority underutilized and generating substantial waste. To improve resource valorization and realize the high-value potential of leather waste, we propose an innovative waste upgrading-function integration strategy, transforming discarded leather into high-value carbon dots via a one-pot hydrothermal process. The resulting waste leather-based carbon quantum dots (W-CQDs) exhibited uniform particle size (similar to 8.26 nm), high fluorescence quantum yield (66.3%), semiconductor-like behavior (band gap: 4.25 eV), and a positively charged surface (zeta-potential: +16.6 mV). These physicochemical properties endowed W-CQDs with remarkable antibacterial activity (most effective against E. coli and S. aureus at 6 mg/mL), strong antioxidant capability, and low biotoxicity. By integrating W-CQDs into a polyacrylamide (PAM) network and engineering a biomimetic hair-like microstructure, we developed a W-CQDs/PAM hydrogel sensor with excellent mechanosensitivity (gauge factor: 2.67), rapid response (468-476 ms), and long-term stability (> 1000 cycles). Furthermore, the W-CQDs/PAM hydrogel exhibited pH-responsive fluorescence (pH 3 similar to 11) through intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) and aggregation-induced emission (AIE) mechanisms. Incorporation of LiBr further enhanced water retention and antifreeze performance, significantly expanding its potential for real-world sensing applications.
Keywords:
Waste-leather scraps
Carbon quantum dots
Hydrogel
Flexible sensors
Multifunctional integration
Journal
C
IF:
9.2
Papers:
27
Citations:
0