Novel materials based on lignin from biomass with enhanced luminescent activity

Luminescent materials are among the most commonly used materials in our daily lives. However, the production of these materials does not currently follow a global ""green"" strategy for materials production. So far, luminescent materials are mainly produced from fossil resources, which leads to additional environmental problems. The use of biomass as a luminescent material could reduce the dependence on fossil resources in the luminescent materials industry and lead to a desirable ""green"" production of luminescent materials. One of the most promising biomass materials for the production of luminescent materials is lignin, which has a complex polymer structure consisting of three different aromatic units. The complex aromatic structure is a good starting point for using lignin as a luminescent material. Despite its attractive properties and characteristics, lignin luminescent materials are not been sufficiently studied and researched. The main goal of this project, entitled ""Novel materials based on lignin from biomass with enhanced luminescent activity"", is to functionalize different types of lignin and transform them into lignin quantum dots. This type of material is already being produced but has limited luminescent properties, with the almost only blue color of emission and low quantum yield. A high value of quantum yield is extremely important for the application of luminescent materials. For transformation into quantum dots, we will use lignin derived from different biomasses (hardwood, softwood, and grass) and three types of lignin depolymerization will be used – kraft lignin, organosolv, and ultrasound-assisted depolymerized lignin. Our novel lignin luminescent materials, lignin quantum dots, will be designed and synthesized to obtain materials with improved luminescent properties, with color emission different from the blue color, and with enhanced quantum yield. The preparation of enhanced luminescent lignin quantum dots requires an in-depth study of the relationship between lignin structure and luminescent properties. To fine-tune the emission color and quantum yield, we will adjust the synthesis parameters and the concentrations of dopants and co-dopants. Various inorganic and organic molecules with heteroatoms (N, S, P, B, Ca2+, Mg2+, and Zn2+) will be used as dopants and co-dopants. We will perform a complete structural, morphological, and optical characterization of the new materials. Finally, we will test novel luminescent lignin quantum dots as temperature and pressure sensors, which will provide additional insight into the spectroscopic studies of the newly prepared luminescent lignin quantum dot materials.