Wood-Based Carbon Quantum Dots Regulate Photosynthetic Carbon Fixation and Enhance Mechanical Properties of Soybean Straw
- 1College of Material Science and Art Design, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010018, China
- 2Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory for Sand Shrubs Fibrosis and Energy Development and Utilization, Hohhot 010018, China
- 3National Forestry Grassland Engineering Technology Research Center for Efficient Development and Utilization of Sandy Shrubs, Hohhot 010018, China
Abstract
In order to achieve the goal of ‘double carbon’ and promote the high-value utilization of biomass materials, nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots (N-CQDs) with high crystallinity were successfully prepared by one-step hydrothermal method using renewable Salix powder as a precursor, and citric acid and urea as an activator and nitrogen source. The research focused on the regulation mechanism of N-CQDs as nano-modulators on photosynthetic carbon fixation of soybean plants, accumulation of micro-structural carbohydrates (cellulose/lignin) in the body, and finally the macro-mechanical strength of soybean straw. The results showed that N-CQDs had a significant ‘low promotion and high inhibition’ effect on the physiological metabolism of soybean. A 5 mg/L low concentration treatment could effectively expand the blue-violet light capture area, accelerate the Hill reaction electron transfer on the thylakoid membrane, and significantly increase the cellulose content in soybean stem by 15.4% compared with the control group. In terms of macroscopic mechanical properties, the shear force of soybean straw in the best treatment group reached 134.76 N, the maximum tensile stress reached 4.25 MPa, and the average increase was 58%. However, the high concentration treatment of 50 mg/L resulted in a sharp decrease of 17.7% in cellulose content and a decrease in tensile stress to 2.21 MPa due to nanotoxicity or light saturation inhibition. In this study, a closed loop of ‘nanodot synthesis-microchemical composition evolution-macromaterial mechanical mapping’ was constructed, which provided a new strategy for source regulation and performance enhancement of biomass functional materials.
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BibTeX
@article{fu2026woodbased,
title = {{Wood-Based Carbon Quantum Dots Regulate Photosynthetic Carbon Fixation and Enhance Mechanical Properties of Soybean Straw}},
author = {Yujia Fu and Fengqi Qiu and Sihan Tu and Zhenhua Xue},
journal = {Polymers},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/polym18202538},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/18/20/2538},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Wood-Based Carbon Quantum Dots Regulate Photosynthetic Carbon Fixation and Enhance Mechanical Properties of Soybean Straw
AU - Yujia Fu
AU - Fengqi Qiu
AU - Sihan Tu
AU - Zhenhua Xue
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/16
JO - Polymers
DO - 10.3390/polym18202538
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/18/20/2538
AB - In order to achieve the goal of ‘double carbon’ and promote the high-value utilization of biomass materials, nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots (N-CQDs) with high crystallinity were successfully prepared by one-step hydrothermal method using renewable Salix powder as a precursor, and citric acid and urea as an activator and nitrogen source. The research focused on the regulation mechanism of N-CQDs as nano-modulators on photosynthetic carbon fixation of soybean plants, accumulation of micro-structural carbohydrates (cellulose/lignin) in the body, and finally the macro-mechanical strength of soybean straw. The results showed that N-CQDs had a significant ‘low promotion and high inhibition’ effect on the physiological metabolism of soybean. A 5 mg/L low concentration treatment could effectively expand the blue-violet light capture area, accelerate the Hill reaction electron transfer on the thylakoid membrane, and significantly increase the cellulose content in soybean stem by 15.4% compared with the control group. In terms of macroscopic mechanical properties, the shear force of soybean straw in the best treatment group reached 134.76 N, the maximum tensile stress reached 4.25 MPa, and the average increase was 58%. However, the high concentration treatment of 50 mg/L resulted in a sharp decrease of 17.7% in cellulose content and a decrease in tensile stress to 2.21 MPa due to nanotoxicity or light saturation inhibition. In this study, a closed loop of ‘nanodot synthesis-microchemical composition evolution-macromaterial mechanical mapping’ was constructed, which provided a new strategy for source regulation and performance enhancement of biomass functional materials.
SN - 2073-4360
ER -