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Vol. 38 No. 8 (2026): Vol 38, Issue 8 (2026)

Copyright (c) 2026 Kandasamy Thirunavukkarasu, Jeeva N, Ramkumar S., Jaisankar V.

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Waste to Value-Added-Products: Preparation of Carbon Quantum Dots from Petroleum Coke for the Preparation of Antimicrobial Polyurethane Nanocomposites

https://doi.org/10.14233/ajchem.2026.36170
N. Jeeva
Department of Chemistry, Vel Tech Rangarajan Dr. Sagunthala R&D Institute of Science and Technology, Avadi, Chennai-600062, India
https://orcid.org/0009-0003-9989-5173
S. Ramkumar
PG and Research Department of Chemistry, Presidency College (Autonomous), Chennai-600005, India
https://orcid.org/0009-0001-4523-6258
K. Thirunavukkarasu
Department of Chemistry, Vel Tech Rangarajan Dr. Sagunthala R&D Institute of Science and Technology, Avadi, Chennai-600062, India
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7359-6277
V. Jaisankar
PG and Research Department of Chemistry, Presidency College (Autonomous), Chennai-600005, India
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0894-4703

Corresponding Author(s) : K. Thirunavukkarasu

kthirunavukkarasu@gmail.com

Asian Journal of Chemistry, Vol. 38 No. 8 (2026): Vol 38, Issue 8 (2026)

Abstract

Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) were prepared using a controlled oxidation process from petroleum coke (petcoke), a low-value by-product, often considered as a waste. Freshly prepared CQDs were then functionalised with vinyltrimethoxysilane (VTMS) to introduce reactive surface silane groups. A silane-functionalised CQD polyurethane (PU) composite (PU/F-CQD) was synthesised using a simple composite synthesis procedure, resulting in uniform dispersion and strong interactions between CQDs and polymer chains. Functionalisation and chemical interactions within the composite were verified by FTIR spectroscopy, whereas XRD analysis confirmed the amorphous nature of the carbon quantum dots (CQDs) and the structural characteristics of the PU matrix. Thermogravimetric analysis established that the composite retained good thermal stability up to 280 ºC. SEM coupled with EDX analysis confirmed the uniform dispersion of CQDs throughout the PU matrix and provided elemental evidence for the composite surface composition. The PU/F-CQD composite exhibited pronounced antifungal activity against pathogenic fungal strains together with substantial in vitro anticancer efficacy against the A549 human lung carcinoma cell line. These findings establish a sustainable waste-to-value approach for fabricating multifunctional CQD-polyurethane composites with promising prospects for antifungal and anticancer biomedical applications.

Keywords

Petcoke Carbon quantum dots Polyurethane Vinyltrimethoxysilane Antifungal activity Anticancer activity
(1)
Jeeva, N.; Ramkumar, S.; Thirunavukkarasu, K.; Jaisankar, V. Waste to Value-Added-Products: Preparation of Carbon Quantum Dots from Petroleum Coke for the Preparation of Antimicrobial Polyurethane Nanocomposites. ajc 2026, 38, 2016-2024.
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Author Biography

N. Jeeva, Department of Chemistry, Vel Tech Rangarajan Dr. Sagunthala R&D Institute of Science and Technology, Avadi, Chennai-600062, India

PhD scholar

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