Paper Title
Endemic Plant-Derived Carbon Dots for Antioxidant Activity

Abstract
Carbon dots (CDs) is a widely discussed nanomaterial because it has good fluorescence properties, high biocompatibility, easily soluble in water, non-toxic, easy to apply, and the synthesis process is simple and inexpensive. CDs can be synthesized from organic materials such as plants. Pakoba (Tricalysia minahassae) is one of the endemic plants from North Sulawesi that is used by local people to treat several diseases, especially it’s leaves and stem bark. The purpose of this study was to synthesize CDs from the leaf (PLCDs) and stem bark of pakoba (PSCDs), then test the antioxidant activity compared to the same sample in extract form. The synthesis of CDs was carried out using the microwave method, which is relatively easy and affordable. Characterization of CDs was carried out using TEM, UV-Vis spectrophotometer, FTIR, zetasizer, and XRD. Antioxidant testing was carried out using the DPPH method. The results showed that C-Dots was successfully synthesized, which was supported by characterization results that were in accordance with the characteristics of CDs. The IC50 values of leaf and stem bark CDs were 4.14 ppm and 4.53 ppm while the extract were 8.77 ppm and 7.64 ppm, respectively. Based on these results, it can be concluded that the antioxidant activity of CDs of pakoba leaves and stem bark is better than the extract. Keywords: Carbon dots, microwave method, pakoba plant, antioxidant