Bacterial cellulose aerogel modified with carbon quantum dots for formaldehyde perception removal

A perception purification material is designed for formaldehyde removal. • Bacterial cellulose aerogel modified with carbon quantum dots was applied in formaldehyde abatement. • Adsorption state of aerogels was perceived by fluorescence quenching and color variation. Formaldehyde (FA), a highly toxic, colorless and odorless at low concentrations indoor pollutant, poses a substantial threat to human health. There is an increasing demand for intelligent materials capable of simultaneously removing FA and enabling real-time visualization of their service status, a technology known as perceptual removal. Herein, carbon quantum dots (CQD) are rationally incorporated into bacterial cellulose aerogel (BC) matrix via a simple one-step method for the perceptual removal of indoor FA. The interactions between CQD and BC improve the FA adsorption capacity, from 0.05 mg/g of BC aerogel to 0.08 mg/g of the composite aerogel, and induce distinct fluorescence quenching upon exposure to FA. Benefiting from its unique optical response, the service status of CQD/BC aerogel could be evaluated based on its fluorescence state. The construction of this perceptual removal platform not only provides a promising approach for simultaneous perception and removal of gaseous FA, but also offers a successful example for multifunction integration to eliminate other indoor pollutants. Download: Download high-res image (137KB) Download: Download full-size image