The C-dots technology
C-dots are carbon-based particles, just a few nanometers across, that turn ordinary visible light into a self-cleaning surface chemistry. Produced in aqueous solution through a controlled process, they are entirely carbon-based — no heavy metals, no semiconductors — setting them apart from functional additives based on silver, zinc, or quaternary ammonium compounds. Transparent, odorless and non-corrosive, so they integrate into different materials without changing how they look. One platform, integrated into the partner's material.
How it works: from visible light to a self-cleaning surface
C-dots are photo-active: when they absorb light, they generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) — chiefly singlet oxygen, a specific oxidative pathway that distinguishes them from conventional photocatalytic materials — locally, at the surface of the material, breaking down the organic matter that builds up there. This is the photocatalysis principle already familiar from materials such as titanium dioxide (TiO₂) — with one decisive difference.
Traditional TiO₂-based photocatalysts work only under ultraviolet (UV) light. In real settings that is a limitation: indoor lighting is almost entirely visible, UV needs dedicated lamps, carries risks to skin and eyes on prolonged exposure, and works only while the lamp is on. C-dots are active across the ambient visible spectrum (400–700 nm) — the ordinary light of an office, a corridor, a workspace — with no special lamp and no dedicated installation.
Because C-dots act catalytically, they are not consumed in the process: the self-cleaning action is a property of the functionalized material itself, not a coating that wears off and has to be re-applied.
Singlet oxygen, not general ROS
The technology's photocatalytic pathway produces singlet oxygen — a specific oxidative pathway that distinguishes it from conventional photocatalytic materials.
Patent protected
A patented chemistry, not an off-the-shelf additive.
A built-in, verifiable function
C-dots are not a product to be applied and re-applied periodically. They stay bound to the material's surface and act catalytically, without being consumed as they work — which is why they are designed to be integrated directly into the partner's material — paint, textile, polymer, glass — and to accompany its service life, as a property of the material itself rather than a sacrificial coating.
Beyond being photo-active, C-dots are optically active: under dedicated light they emit fluorescence, making it possible to verify — simply and non-destructively — whether the treatment is present and uniform across the whole surface. It's a quality-control and authentication function built directly into the article, useful to the partner throughout production and after sale. As with other nanomaterials, C-dots fall within the scope of the EU REACH regulation and its nanoform obligations, which EcoAida manages as part of its compliance pathway.
The scientific basis
The properties of C-dots — structure, ROS generation under visible light, breakdown of organic matter, and optical behavior — have been characterized and documented in ten peer-reviewed publications in international journals. Laboratory testing has additionally reported reductions in microbial and viral load on functionalized surfaces under visible light.
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The integration chemistry is developed case by case, together with the partner. Tell us about your material and your goal.