Carbon quantum dots as fluorescent probes in the measurement of the critical micelle concentration of surfactants

The critical micelle concentration (CMC) is one main parameter of surfactants, so an accurate, rapid, and convenient method for CMC determination is of great significance for surfactant applications. In this paper, three samples of carbon quantum dots (CQDs) with different fluorescence properties were developed as fluorescent probes for the CMC determination of CTAB, SDS, Triton X-100, perfluoro OBS and Pluronics® P-123. The fluorescence excitation and emission spectra of a constant amount of the CQDs in different concentrations of the surfactant solution were recorded, and then the CMC values of the surfactant were deduced from the fluorescence intensity change and the Stokes shift variation. The obtained CMC data using three samples of the CQDs agree well with those in the published literature. It is also demonstrated that in the micellization process the interaction between the CQDs and the surfactant molecules is complicated, because the fluorescence properties of the CQDs are found to be related to the characteristics of the CQDs, the head group type of ionic surfactants, the chemical structure between the hydrophobic and hydrophilic segment, and the chemical nature of the hydrophobic chains of the surfactants. So, the CQDs are demonstrated to be located at the palisade layer in the surfactant micelles due to the surface-attached polar groups on the CQDs although the CQDs are mainly hydrophobic as fluorescent probes. The fluorescent CQDs are considered to be new choices of the fluorescent probes in the facile CMC measurement of the surfactants.