Halogen-decorated graphene quantum dots (X@GQDs) will be herein explored as a material platform for application in photodynamic therapy (PDT). GQDs have been extensively studied in biomedical areas such as bioimaging, bio-sensing and photothermal therapy due to their superior optical and physiochemical properties. Application of GQDs in PDT has been explored lately, but currently the main challenges are inadequate singlet oxygen (1O2) quantum yield (QY), poor solubility, and biocompatibility. In this talk, the synthesis of a new class of halogen (fluorine) containing GQDs (F@GQDs) will be described. The as-synthesized F@GQD sample demonstrates an average particle size below 3 nm with a fluorine doping content of around 2%. The synthesized F@GQDs show improved water solubility and biocompatibility, while emitting strong green fluorescence and QY slightly above 13%. Moreover, the photodynamic activity was successfully tested in bioassays (in vitro).

Professor Paulo César De Morais (H62), PhD, was full Professor of Physics at the University of Brasilia (UnB) – Brazil up to 2013. Appointed as UnB’s (Brazil) Emeritus Professor (2014); Visiting Professor at HUST – China (2012-2015); Distinguished Professor at AHU – China (2016-2019); Full Professor at the Catholic University of Brasília (UCB) – Brazil (2018); CNPq-1A Research Fellow since 2010; 2007 Master Research Prize from UnB. He held two-years (1987-1988) post-doc position with Bell Communications Research, New Jersey – USA and received his Doctoral degree in Solid State Physics (1986) from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) – Brazil. With more than 14,500 citations, He has published over 500 papers, presented more than 250 international invited talks (35 countries), and filled 16 patents.