Interaction of carbon nanotubes with curcumin: Effect of temperature and pH on simultaneous static and dynamic fluorescence quenching of curcumin using carbon nanotubes

Abstract Curcumin (Cur) has medicinal properties, undergoes hydrolysis, and has low water solubility that limits its bioavailability and industrial usage. Different host molecules such as carbon nanotubes (CNT) can be useful in improving solubility and stabilizing Cur, therefore understanding the interaction of Cur with host molecules such as CNT is crucial. In this study, UV–visible light absorption and fluorescence spectroscopic techniques have been applied to reveal the interaction of Cur with CNT. Visible light absorption of Cur increases with CNT concentration, whereas fluorescence intensity of Cur is quenched in the presence of CNT. The obtained results confirm that fluorescence reduction is due to both static and dynamic quenching and is a result of the ground state and excited‐state complex formation. The pH environment influences the quenching rate due to deprotonation of Cur at higher pH; excess OH‐ ion concentration in the solution further discourages electrostatic interaction between the deprotonated form of Cur with CNT. It is found that at lower temperatures (<35°C) dynamic quenching is much more dominant and at higher temperatures (45°C) static quenching is more dominant. The interaction is further supported using X‐ray diffraction patterns and Fourier transform infrared spectra in the solid state, and suggests encapsulation of curcumin within the CNT. It is further evident that fluorescence quenching of Cur using CNT is further enhanced in the presence of several salts, as increase in ionic strength of the solution pushes the hydrophobic Cur molecule towards the CNT core by increasing the proximity between them.