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Research Article

Large scale synthesis of full-color emissive carbon dots from a single carbon source by a solvent-free method

Hui Ding1, Xuan-Xuan Zhou1, Zi-Hui Zhang1, Yun-Peng Zhao1( ), Ji-Shi Wei2, Huan-Ming Xiong2( )
Key Laboratory of Coal Processing and Efficient Utilization of Ministry of Education and College of Chemical Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
Department of Chemistry and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Molecular Catalysis and Innovative Materials, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China
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Graphical Abstract

A facile solvent-free approach to obtain photoluminescent carbon dots (CDs) with tunable emission from 442 to 621 nm, quantum yield of 23%–56%, and production yield within 34%–72% is reported. The resulting CDs can be potentially applied in the fabrication of fullcolor light emitting films and all types of white light emitting diodes (WLEDs) with high color-rendering-index (CRI) over 80.

Abstract

Full-color emissive carbon dots (CDs) hold a great promise for various applications, especially in light emitting diodes (LEDs). However, the existing synthetic routes for CDs are carried out in solutions, which suffer from low yields, high pressures, various byproducts, large amounts of waste solvents, and complicated photoluminescence (PL) origins. Therefore, it is necessary to explore large scale synthesis of CDs with high quantum yield (QY) across the entire visible range from a single carbon source by a solvent-free method. In this work, a series of CDs with tunable PL emission from 442 to 621 nm, QY of 23%–56%, and production yield within 34%–72%, are obtained by heating o-phenylenediamine with the catalysis of KCl. Detailed characterizations identify that, the differences between these CDs with respect to the graphitization degree, graphitic nitrogen content, and oxygen-containing functional groups, are responsible for their distinct optical properties, which can be modulated by controlling the deamination and dehydrogenation processes during reactions. Blue, green, yellow, red emissive films, and LEDs are prepared by dispersing the corresponding CDs into polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). All types of white LEDs (WLEDs) with high color-rendering-index (CRI), including warm WLEDs, standard WLEDs, and cool WLEDs, are also fabricated by mixing the red, green, and blue emissive CDs into PVA matrix by the appropriate ratios.

Keywords

surface statecarbon dotssolvent-free synthesisfull-color luminescencewhite light emitting diodes

Electronic Supplementary Material

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Nano Research
Volume 15 Issue 4,
April 2022
Pages 3548-3555
DOI: 10.1007/s12274-021-3891-0
Cite this article:
Ding H, Zhou X-X, Zhang Z-H, et al. Large scale synthesis of full-color emissive carbon dots from a single carbon source by a solvent-free method. Nano Research, 2022, 15(4): 3548-3555. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-021-3891-0
Topics:
Carbon quantum dots

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Received: 05 July 2021
Revised: 11 September 2021
Accepted: 15 September 2021
Published: 15 October 2021
© Tsinghua University Press and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2021
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