Carbon nanomaterials as solar UV protectors targeting applications ranging from paints/varnishes to pharma/cosmetic products

The main goal of the project is the development of novel nanostructured carbon dots for their application as solar UV protectors in various materials, ranging from paints/varnishes to pharmaceutical/cosmetic products, which involve an entirely new approach in solar UV protection based on highly photoluminescent Carbon Dots (CDs) through efficient translation of the incident solar UV radiation towards longer wavelengths. The lower energy photons produced in the radiative processes within the CDs are less capable of inducing irreversible changes over the chemical/structural properties of the exposed surfaces. CDs are particularly suited for this approach due to their wide range UV excitation of the radiative processes, physico-chemical stability, inertness, lack of toxicity, biocompatibility and ease of fabrication. The provided UV protection is intended to be assayed upon their integration in various polymers matrices of relevance for coating materials and also targeting cosmetic skin UV protection formulations.