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Minervini G, Panniello A, Dibenedetto CN, Madonia A, Fanizza E, Curri ML, Striccoli M. Exploring Carbon Dots: Green Nanomaterials for Unconventional Lasing. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2024:e2403653. [PMID: 39165080 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202403653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2024] [Revised: 07/26/2024] [Indexed: 08/22/2024]
Abstract
In recent years, the progress toward lighting miniaturization is focused on luminescent nanomaterials. Among them, fluorescent carbon dots (CDs) are receiving increasing attention thanks to their astonishing optical properties complemented by their intrinsic biocompatibility and low toxicity. The CDs can be easily dispersed in water, organic solvents or incorporated in polymeric matrices, preserving their emission properties. However, the relationship between their structural and optical properties is still not fully elucidated, motivating a consistent research effort for the comprehension of their features. Nevertheless, CDs demonstrate to be efficient gain materials for lasing, thanks to their high quantum yield (QY), emission tunability in the visible and near infrared (NIR) range, short lifetimes, and high absorption cross section, even if the synthetic reproducibility, the low reaction yield and the spectral width of the emission may limit their effective exploitation. This review summarizes the latest advancements in the investigation of the characteristic properties of CDs that make laser action possible, illustrating optical geometries for lasing and random lasing, both in solution and solid state, and the few currently demonstrated breakthroughs. While the journey toward their effective application is still long, the potential of CD-based laser sources is promising in various technological fields and futuristic perspectives will be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gianluca Minervini
- Institute for Physical and Chemical Processes (IPCF), CNR, via Orabona 4, Bari, 70125, Italy
| | - Annamaria Panniello
- Institute for Physical and Chemical Processes (IPCF), CNR, via Orabona 4, Bari, 70125, Italy
| | | | - Antonino Madonia
- Department of Physics and Chemistry "E. Segré", University of Palermo, Via Archirafi 36, Palermo, 90123, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Fanizza
- Institute for Physical and Chemical Processes (IPCF), CNR, via Orabona 4, Bari, 70125, Italy
- Chemistry Department, University of Bari, via Orabona 4, Bari, 70125, Italy
- National Interuniversity Consortium of Materials Science and Technology, INSTM, Bari Research Unit, Via Orabona 4, Bari, 70125, Italy
| | - Maria Lucia Curri
- Institute for Physical and Chemical Processes (IPCF), CNR, via Orabona 4, Bari, 70125, Italy
- Chemistry Department, University of Bari, via Orabona 4, Bari, 70125, Italy
- National Interuniversity Consortium of Materials Science and Technology, INSTM, Bari Research Unit, Via Orabona 4, Bari, 70125, Italy
| | - Marinella Striccoli
- Institute for Physical and Chemical Processes (IPCF), CNR, via Orabona 4, Bari, 70125, Italy
- National Interuniversity Consortium of Materials Science and Technology, INSTM, Bari Research Unit, Via Orabona 4, Bari, 70125, Italy
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2
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Tuchin VS, Stepanidenko EA, Vedernikova AA, Cherevkov SA, Li D, Li L, Döring A, Otyepka M, Ushakova EV, Rogach AL. Optical Properties Prediction for Red and Near-Infrared Emitting Carbon Dots Using Machine Learning. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2024; 20:e2310402. [PMID: 38342667 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202310402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2023] [Revised: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/13/2024]
Abstract
Functional nanostructures build up a basis for the future materials and devices, providing a wide variety of functionalities, a possibility of designing bio-compatible nanoprobes, etc. However, development of new nanostructured materials via trial-and-error approach is obviously limited by laborious efforts on their syntheses, and the cost of materials and manpower. This is one of the reasons for an increasing interest in design and development of novel materials with required properties assisted by machine learning approaches. Here, the dataset on synthetic parameters and optical properties of one important class of light-emitting nanomaterials - carbon dots are collected, processed, and analyzed with optical transitions in the red and near-infrared spectral ranges. A model for prediction of spectral characteristics of these carbon dots based on multiple linear regression is established and verified by comparison of the predicted and experimentally observed optical properties of carbon dots synthesized in three different laboratories. Based on the analysis, the open-source code is provided to be used by researchers for the prediction of optical properties of carbon dots and their synthetic procedures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vladislav S Tuchin
- International Research and Education Centre for Physics of Nanostructures, ITMO University, Saint Petersburg, 197101, Russia
| | - Evgeniia A Stepanidenko
- International Research and Education Centre for Physics of Nanostructures, ITMO University, Saint Petersburg, 197101, Russia
| | - Anna A Vedernikova
- International Research and Education Centre for Physics of Nanostructures, ITMO University, Saint Petersburg, 197101, Russia
| | - Sergei A Cherevkov
- International Research and Education Centre for Physics of Nanostructures, ITMO University, Saint Petersburg, 197101, Russia
| | - Di Li
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, P. R. China
| | - Lei Li
- College of Materials Science and Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, P. R. China
| | - Aaron Döring
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Centre for Functional Photonics (CFP), City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, 999077, P. R. China
| | - Michal Otyepka
- IT4Innovations. VSB-Technical University of Ostrava, 17. listopadu 2172/15, Ostrava-Poruba, 70800, Czech Republic
- Regional Centre of Advanced Technologies and Materials (RCPTM), Czech Advanced Technology and Research Institute (CATRIN), Palacký University Olomouc, Šlechtitelů 27, Olomouc, 78371, Czech Republic
| | - Elena V Ushakova
- International Research and Education Centre for Physics of Nanostructures, ITMO University, Saint Petersburg, 197101, Russia
| | - Andrey L Rogach
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Centre for Functional Photonics (CFP), City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, 999077, P. R. China
- IT4Innovations. VSB-Technical University of Ostrava, 17. listopadu 2172/15, Ostrava-Poruba, 70800, Czech Republic
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3
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Sayyad US, Bhatt H, Ghosh HN, Mondal S. Delineating the core and surface state heterogeneity of carbon dots during electron transfer. NANOSCALE 2024; 16:8143-8150. [PMID: 38572546 DOI: 10.1039/d4nr00271g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/05/2024]
Abstract
Exploring the heterogeneity of carbon dots (C-Dots) is challenging because of the existence of complex structural diversity, and it is a demanding task for the development and designing of efficient C-Dots for various applications. Herein, we studied the role of the core state and surface state of C-Dots in heterogeneity via the successful investigation of the electron transfer (ET) process between different (blue, green, and red) emitting C-Dots and an electron acceptor methyl viologen (MV2+) using steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence and ultrafast transient absorption (TA) spectroscopic techniques. Selective excitation in the steady-state and time-resolved mode shows that the ET ability of the core state is higher than that of the surface state. Moreover, the kinetics of MV+˙ generation was probed using TA spectroscopy after the excitation of the core and surface state, where we observed that the surface state becomes less efficient due to the presence of an oxygen-containing functional group in the surface state, which acts as an electron scavenger. Moreover, the heterogeneity of the core and surface state was explored through the detection of the MV+˙ generation yield after the irradiation of UV and visible light (exciting the core and surface state). The result indicates that the graphitic nitrogen content in the core state and the oxygen-containing functional group in the surface state play an important role in the heterogeneity in the structure and the ET process. Our findings on the fundamental understanding of the heterogeneity of different emissive C-Dots will provide a new way of designing and developing a metal-free light-harvesting system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Umarfaruk S Sayyad
- Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai, Marathwada Campus, Jalna, Maharashtra 431203, India.
| | - Himanshu Bhatt
- Institute of Nano science and Technology, Mohali, Punjab 140306, India
| | - Hirendra N Ghosh
- School of Chemical Sciences, National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), Bhubaneswar, Odisha 752050, India
| | - Somen Mondal
- Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai, Marathwada Campus, Jalna, Maharashtra 431203, India.
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4
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Mandal T, Mishra SR, Singh V. Comprehensive advances in the synthesis, fluorescence mechanism and multifunctional applications of red-emitting carbon nanomaterials. NANOSCALE ADVANCES 2023; 5:5717-5765. [PMID: 37881704 PMCID: PMC10597556 DOI: 10.1039/d3na00447c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023]
Abstract
Red emitting fluorescent carbon nanomaterials have drawn significant scientific interest in recent years due to their high quantum yield, water-dispersibility, photostability, biocompatibility, ease of surface functionalization, low cost and eco-friendliness. The red emissive characteristics of fluorescent carbon nanomaterials generally depend on the carbon source, reaction time, synthetic approach/methodology, surface functional groups, average size, and other reaction environments, which directly or indirectly help to achieve red emission. The importance of several factors to achieve red fluorescent carbon nanomaterials is highlighted in this review. Numerous plausible theories have been explained in detail to understand the origin of red fluorescence and tunable emission in these carbon-based nanostructures. The above advantages and fluorescence in the red region make them a potential candidate for multifunctional applications in various current fields. Therefore, this review focused on the recent advances in the synthesis approach, mechanism of fluorescence, and electronic and optical properties of red-emitting fluorescent carbon nanomaterials. This review also explains the several innovative applications of red-emitting fluorescent carbon nanomaterials such as biomedicine, light-emitting devices, sensing, photocatalysis, energy, anticounterfeiting, fluorescent silk, artificial photosynthesis, etc. It is hoped that by choosing appropriate methods, the present review can inspire and guide future research on the design of red emissive fluorescent carbon nanomaterials for potential advancements in multifunctional applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tuhin Mandal
- Environment Emission and CRM Section, CSIR-Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research Dhanbad Jharkhand 828108 India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR) Ghaziabad 201 002 India
| | - Shiv Rag Mishra
- Environment Emission and CRM Section, CSIR-Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research Dhanbad Jharkhand 828108 India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR) Ghaziabad 201 002 India
| | - Vikram Singh
- Environment Emission and CRM Section, CSIR-Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research Dhanbad Jharkhand 828108 India
- Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR) Ghaziabad 201 002 India
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5
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Zhang J, Chen M, Ren X, Shi W, Yin T, Luo T, Lan Y, Li X, Guan L. Effect of conjugation length on fluorescence characteristics of carbon dots. RSC Adv 2023; 13:27714-27721. [PMID: 37727316 PMCID: PMC10506537 DOI: 10.1039/d3ra05031a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 09/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The influence of sp2- and sp3-hybridized carbon coexisting in carbon cores on fluorescence characteristics of carbon dots (CDs) was revealed by density functional theory calculations. Based on the constructed coronene-like structures, the fluorescence emission spectra, transition molecular orbital pairs and several physical quantities describing the distribution of electrons and holes were investigated. The results indicate that due to the interaction between sp2 and sp3 carbon atoms, two main factors including the hyperconjugative effect and the separation of sp2 domain by sp3 carbon atoms can regulate the fluorescence wavelength. By analyzing the transition molecular orbital pairs, it was found that the fluorescence wavelength has a close correlation with the conjugation length, suggesting that the conjugation length can predict the shift of the emission spectra of CDs. The theoretical results provide a comprehensive understanding of fluorescence mechanism and help to synthesize CDs with expected fluorescence wavelength.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianen Zhang
- Key Laboratory of High-precision Computation and Application of Quantum Field Theory of Hebei Province, College of Physics Science and Technology, Hebei University Baoding 071002 PR China
| | - Mingjun Chen
- Key Laboratory of High-precision Computation and Application of Quantum Field Theory of Hebei Province, College of Physics Science and Technology, Hebei University Baoding 071002 PR China
| | - Xiaojie Ren
- Key Laboratory of High-precision Computation and Application of Quantum Field Theory of Hebei Province, College of Physics Science and Technology, Hebei University Baoding 071002 PR China
| | - Weicai Shi
- Key Laboratory of High-precision Computation and Application of Quantum Field Theory of Hebei Province, College of Physics Science and Technology, Hebei University Baoding 071002 PR China
| | - Tao Yin
- Key Laboratory of High-precision Computation and Application of Quantum Field Theory of Hebei Province, College of Physics Science and Technology, Hebei University Baoding 071002 PR China
| | - Tao Luo
- Key Laboratory of High-precision Computation and Application of Quantum Field Theory of Hebei Province, College of Physics Science and Technology, Hebei University Baoding 071002 PR China
| | - Youshi Lan
- Department of Radiochemistry, China Institute of Atomic Energy Beijing 102413 PR China
| | - Xu Li
- Key Laboratory of High-precision Computation and Application of Quantum Field Theory of Hebei Province, College of Physics Science and Technology, Hebei University Baoding 071002 PR China
| | - Li Guan
- Key Laboratory of High-precision Computation and Application of Quantum Field Theory of Hebei Province, College of Physics Science and Technology, Hebei University Baoding 071002 PR China
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Mandal S, Erimban S, Banerjee S, Daschakraborty S, Das P. Elucidating the relationship between red fluorescence and structural dynamics of carbon dots dispersed in different solvents. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2023; 25:23645-23657. [PMID: 37609834 DOI: 10.1039/d3cp02498a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/24/2023]
Abstract
The mechanism of intrinsic fluorescence of carbon dots (CDs), the latest nanomaterial from the carbon family, was supposedly deciphered through multiple theories. However, the much sought-after persistent red emission of CDs as a foreseeable consequence of experiments remains elusive prompting the question of whether tuning of the red emission of CDs is a predictable outcome or a serendipitous coincidence. Herein, we tried to decode the same by exploring Alizarin Red S (ARS)-based red emitting CDs in different solvents with wisely chosen analytical tools. The findings are aptly supported by molecular dynamics studies through an experimental intuition-driven model-building approach. Parallel interception of the CDs with powder X-ray diffraction (pXRD) and photophysical spectroscopic studies revealed an important relationship between the solvent and CDs. Tautomerism, a well-known phenomenon with chemical entities, was found to be operative for CDs that greatly influence the Stokes shift and ultimately the fluorescence outcome. Most importantly, pXRD studies established the turbostratism of the CDs where the well-ordered graphitic structure of CDs gets disrupted with solvent molecules. The extent of such disruption is a function of solvent and CD composition that plays a formidable role in obtaining red fluorescence. Thus, for the first time, we demonstrate that the red emission of CDs is related to its structural integrity and if taken care of could be sustained, a tremendously desirable outcome for relevant applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saptarshi Mandal
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Kentucky, Lexington, 40536, USA
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Patna, Bihta, 801103, India.
| | - Shakkira Erimban
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Patna, Bihta, 801103, India.
- Department of Chemistry, The University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112-0850, USA
| | - Subhrajeet Banerjee
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Patna, Bihta, 801103, India.
| | | | - Prolay Das
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Patna, Bihta, 801103, India.
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7
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Olla C, Ricci PC, Chiriu D, Fantauzzi M, Casula MF, Mocci F, Cappai A, Porcu S, Stagi L, Carbonaro CM. Selecting molecular or surface centers in carbon dots-silica hybrids to tune the optical emission: A photo-physics study down to the atomistic level. J Colloid Interface Sci 2023; 634:402-417. [PMID: 36542970 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2022.12.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2022] [Revised: 12/01/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
In this work, we unveil the fluorescence features of citric acid and urea-based Carbon Dots (CDs) through a photo-physical characterization of nanoparticles synthesized, under solvent-free and open-air conditions, within silica-ordered mesoporous silica, as a potential host for solid-state emitting hybrids. Compared to CDs synthesized without silica matrices and dispersed in water, silica-CD hybrids display a broader emission in the green range whose contribution can be increased by UV and blue laser irradiation. The analysis of hybrids synthesized within different silica (MCM-48 and SBA-15) calls for an active role of the matrix in directing the synthesis toward the formation of CDs with a larger content of graphitic N and imidic groups at the expense of N-pyridinic molecules. As a result, CDs tuned in size and with a larger green emission are obtained in the hybrids and are retained once extracted from the silica matrix and dispersed in water. The kinetics of the photo-physics under UV and blue irradiation of hybrid samples show a photo-assisted formation process leading to a further increase of the relative contribution of the green emission, not observed in the water-dispersed reference samples, suggesting that the porous matrix is involved also in the photo-activated process. Finally, we carried out DFT and TD-DFT calculations on the interaction of silica with selected models of CD emitting centers, like surface functional groups (OH and COOH), dopants (graphitic N), and citric acid-based molecules. The combined experimental and theoretical results clearly indicate the presence of molecular species and surface centers both emitting in the blue and green spectral range, whose relative contribution is tuned by the interaction with the surrounding media.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Olla
- Department of Physics, University of Cagliari, I-09042 Monserrato, Italy.
| | - Pier Carlo Ricci
- Department of Physics, University of Cagliari, I-09042 Monserrato, Italy
| | - Daniele Chiriu
- Department of Physics, University of Cagliari, I-09042 Monserrato, Italy
| | - Marzia Fantauzzi
- Department of Chemical and Geological Sciences, University of Cagliari, I-09042 Monserrato, Italy
| | - Maria Francesca Casula
- Department of Mechanical, Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Cagliari, Via Marengo 2, I-09123 Cagliari, Italy
| | - Francesca Mocci
- Department of Chemical and Geological Sciences, University of Cagliari, I-09042 Monserrato, Italy
| | - Antonio Cappai
- Department of Physics, University of Cagliari, I-09042 Monserrato, Italy
| | - Stefania Porcu
- Department of Physics, University of Cagliari, I-09042 Monserrato, Italy
| | - Luigi Stagi
- Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Laboratory of Materials Science and Nanotechnology, University of Sassari, Via Vienna 2, I-07100 Sassari, Italy
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8
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Domena JB, Celebic E, Ferreira BCLB, Zhou Y, Zhang W, Chen J, Bartoli M, Tagliaferro A, Johnson Q, Chauhan BPS, Paulino V, Olivier JH, Leblanc RM. Investigation into Red Emission and Its Applications: Solvatochromic N-Doped Red Emissive Carbon Dots with Solvent Polarity Sensing and Solid-State Fluorescent Nanocomposite Thin Films. Molecules 2023; 28:molecules28041755. [PMID: 36838742 PMCID: PMC9960500 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28041755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2023] [Revised: 02/08/2023] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2023] Open
Abstract
In this work, a NIR emitting dye, p-toluenesulfonate (IR-813) was explored as a model precursor to develop red emissive carbon dots (813-CD) with solvatochromic behavior with a red-shift observed with increasing solvent polarity. The 813-CDs produced had emission peaks at 610 and 698 nm, respectively, in water with blue shifts of emission as solvent polarity decreased. Subsequently, 813-CD was synthesized with increasing nitrogen content with polyethyleneimine (PEI) to elucidate the change in band gap energy. With increased nitrogen content, the CDs produced emissions as far as 776 nm. Additionally, a CD nanocomposite polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) film was synthesized to assess the phenomenon of solid-state fluorescence. Furthermore, the CDs were found to have electrochemical properties to be used as an additive doping agent for PVP film coatings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin B. Domena
- Department of Chemistry, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA
| | - Ermin Celebic
- Department of Chemistry, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA
| | | | - Yiqun Zhou
- Department of Chemistry, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA
| | - Wei Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA
| | - Jiuyan Chen
- Department of Chemistry, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA
| | - M. Bartoli
- Department of Applied Science and Technology, Politecnico di Torino, 10129 Torino, Italy
| | - A. Tagliaferro
- Department of Applied Science and Technology, Politecnico di Torino, 10129 Torino, Italy
| | - Qiaxian Johnson
- Department of Chemistry, William Paterson University of New Jersey, 300 Pompton Rd, Wayne, NJ 07470, USA
| | - Bhanu P. S. Chauhan
- Department of Chemistry, William Paterson University of New Jersey, 300 Pompton Rd, Wayne, NJ 07470, USA
| | - Victor Paulino
- Department of Chemistry, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA
| | | | - Roger M. Leblanc
- Department of Chemistry, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA
- Correspondence:
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9
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Boukhvalov DW, Osipov VY, Hogan BT, Baldycheva A. A comprehensive model of nitrogen-free ordered carbon quantum dots. DISCOVER NANO 2023; 18:1. [PMID: 36719545 PMCID: PMC9889594 DOI: 10.1186/s11671-023-03773-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 11/26/2022] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
We propose and demonstrate a novel range of models to accurately determine the optical properties of nitrogen-free carbon quantum dots (CQDs) with ordered graphene layered structures. We confirm the results of our models against the full range of experimental results for CQDs available from an extensive review of the literature. The models can be equally applied to CQDs with varied sizes and with different oxygen contents in the basal planes of the constituent graphenic sheets. We demonstrate that the experimentally observed blue fluorescent emission of nitrogen-free CQDs can be associated with either small oxidised areas on the periphery of the graphenic sheets, or with sub-nanometre non-functionalised islands of sp2-hybridised carbon with high symmetry confined in the centres of oxidised graphene sheets. Larger and/or less symmetric non-functionalised regions in the centre of functionalised graphene sheet are found to be sources of green and even red fluorescent emission from nitrogen-free CQDs. We also demonstrate an approach to simplify the modelling of the discussed sp2-islands by substitution with equivalent strained polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Additionally, we show that the bandgaps (and photoluminescence) of CQDs are not dependent on either out-of-plane corrugation of the graphene sheet or the spacing between sp2-islands. Advantageously, our proposed models show that there is no need to involve light-emitting polycyclic aromatic molecules (nanographenes) with arbitrary structures grafted to the particle periphery to explain the plethora of optical phenomena observed for CQDs across the full range of experimental works.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danil W. Boukhvalov
- College of Science, Institute of Materials Physics and Chemistry, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, 210037 People’s Republic of China
- Institute of Physics and Technology, Ural Federal University, Mira 19 Str., Yekaterinburg, Russia 620002
| | | | - Benjamin Thomas Hogan
- STEMM Laboratory, University of Exeter, North Park Road, Exeter, EX4 4QF UK
- Department of Electrical and Information Engineering, University of Oulu, 90014 Oulu, Finland
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Queen’s University, 45 Union St., Kingston, ON K7L 3N6 Canada
| | - Anna Baldycheva
- STEMM Laboratory, University of Exeter, North Park Road, Exeter, EX4 4QF UK
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10
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Arefina IA, Kurshanov DA, Vedernikova AA, Danilov DV, Koroleva AV, Zhizhin EV, Sergeev AA, Fedorov AV, Ushakova EV, Rogach AL. Carbon Dot Emission Enhancement in Covalent Complexes with Plasmonic Metal Nanoparticles. NANOMATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 13:223. [PMID: 36677976 PMCID: PMC9867019 DOI: 10.3390/nano13020223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2022] [Revised: 12/28/2022] [Accepted: 12/30/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Carbon dots can be used for the fabrication of colloidal multi-purpose complexes for sensing and bio-visualization due to their easy and scalable synthesis, control of their spectral responses over a wide spectral range, and possibility of surface functionalization to meet the application task. Here, we developed a chemical protocol of colloidal complex formation via covalent bonding between carbon dots and plasmonic metal nanoparticles in order to influence and improve their fluorescence. We demonstrate how interactions between carbon dots and metal nanoparticles in the formed complexes, and thus their optical responses, depend on the type of bonds between particles, the architecture of the complexes, and the degree of overlapping of absorption and emission of carbon dots with the plasmon resonance of metals. For the most optimized architecture, emission enhancement reaching up to 5.4- and 4.9-fold for complexes with silver and gold nanoparticles has been achieved, respectively. Our study expands the toolkit of functional materials based on carbon dots for applications in photonics and biomedicine to photonics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irina A. Arefina
- International Research and Education Centre for Physics of Nanostructures, ITMO University, Saint Petersburg 197101, Russia
| | - Danil A. Kurshanov
- International Research and Education Centre for Physics of Nanostructures, ITMO University, Saint Petersburg 197101, Russia
| | - Anna A. Vedernikova
- International Research and Education Centre for Physics of Nanostructures, ITMO University, Saint Petersburg 197101, Russia
| | - Denis V. Danilov
- Interdisciplinary Resource Centre for Nanotechnology, Saint Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg 199034, Russia
| | - Aleksandra V. Koroleva
- Centre for Physical Methods of Surface Investigation, Saint Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg 199034, Russia
| | - Evgeniy V. Zhizhin
- Centre for Physical Methods of Surface Investigation, Saint Petersburg State University, Saint Petersburg 199034, Russia
| | - Aleksandr A. Sergeev
- Department of Physics, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
| | - Anatoly V. Fedorov
- International Research and Education Centre for Physics of Nanostructures, ITMO University, Saint Petersburg 197101, Russia
| | - Elena V. Ushakova
- International Research and Education Centre for Physics of Nanostructures, ITMO University, Saint Petersburg 197101, Russia
| | - Andrey L. Rogach
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Centre for Functional Photonics (CFP), City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR 999077, China
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11
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Zhang B, Wang B, Ushakova EV, He B, Xing G, Tang Z, Rogach AL, Qu S. Assignment of Core and Surface States in Multicolor-Emissive Carbon Dots. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2022:e2204158. [PMID: 36216592 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202204158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2022] [Revised: 09/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
It is important to reveal the luminescence mechanisms of carbon dots (CDs). Herein, CDs with two types of optical centers are synthesized from citric acid in formamide by a solvothermal method, and show high photoluminescence quantum yield reaching 42%. Their green/yellow emission exhibits pronounced vibrational structure and high resistance toward photobleaching, while broad red photoluminescence is sensitive to solvents, temperature, and UV-IR. Under UV-IR, the red emission is gradually bleached due to the photoinduced dehydration of the deprotonated surface of CDs in dimethyl sulfoxide, while this process is hindered in water. From the analysis of steady-state and time-resolved photoluminescence and transient absorption data together with density functional theory calculations, the green/ yellow emission is assigned to conjugated sp2 -domains (core state) similar to organic dye derivatives stacked within disk-shaped CDs; and the broad red emission-to oxygen-containing groups bound to sp2 -domains (surface state), whereas energy transfer from the core to the surface state can happen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bohan Zhang
- Joint Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education, Institute of Applied Physics and Materials Engineering, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau SAR, 999078, P. R. China
| | - Bingzhe Wang
- Joint Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education, Institute of Applied Physics and Materials Engineering, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau SAR, 999078, P. R. China
| | - Elena V Ushakova
- Center of Information Optical Technologies, ITMO University, Saint Petersburg, 197101, Russia
| | - Bingchen He
- Joint Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education, Institute of Applied Physics and Materials Engineering, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau SAR, 999078, P. R. China
| | - Guichuan Xing
- Joint Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education, Institute of Applied Physics and Materials Engineering, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau SAR, 999078, P. R. China
| | - Zikang Tang
- Joint Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education, Institute of Applied Physics and Materials Engineering, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau SAR, 999078, P. R. China
| | - Andrey L Rogach
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Centre for Functional Photonics (CFP), City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, 999077, P. R. China
- Shenzhen Research Institute, City University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, 518057, P. R. China
| | - Songnan Qu
- Joint Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education, Institute of Applied Physics and Materials Engineering, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau SAR, 999078, P. R. China
- Department of Physics and Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Macau, Macao SAR, 999078, P. R. China
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12
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Mocci F, de Villiers Engelbrecht L, Olla C, Cappai A, Casula MF, Melis C, Stagi L, Laaksonen A, Carbonaro CM. Carbon Nanodots from an In Silico Perspective. Chem Rev 2022; 122:13709-13799. [PMID: 35948072 PMCID: PMC9413235 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.1c00864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Carbon nanodots (CNDs) are the latest and most shining rising stars among photoluminescent (PL) nanomaterials. These carbon-based surface-passivated nanostructures compete with other related PL materials, including traditional semiconductor quantum dots and organic dyes, with a long list of benefits and emerging applications. Advantages of CNDs include tunable inherent optical properties and high photostability, rich possibilities for surface functionalization and doping, dispersibility, low toxicity, and viable synthesis (top-down and bottom-up) from organic materials. CNDs can be applied to biomedicine including imaging and sensing, drug-delivery, photodynamic therapy, photocatalysis but also to energy harvesting in solar cells and as LEDs. More applications are reported continuously, making this already a research field of its own. Understanding of the properties of CNDs requires one to go to the levels of electrons, atoms, molecules, and nanostructures at different scales using modern molecular modeling and to correlate it tightly with experiments. This review highlights different in silico techniques and studies, from quantum chemistry to the mesoscale, with particular reference to carbon nanodots, carbonaceous nanoparticles whose structural and photophysical properties are not fully elucidated. The role of experimental investigation is also presented. Hereby, we hope to encourage the reader to investigate CNDs and to apply virtual chemistry to obtain further insights needed to customize these amazing systems for novel prospective applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Mocci
- Department
of Chemical and Geological Sciences, University
of Cagliari, I-09042 Monserrato, Italy,
| | | | - Chiara Olla
- Department
of Physics, University of Cagliari, I-09042 Monserrato, Italy
| | - Antonio Cappai
- Department
of Physics, University of Cagliari, I-09042 Monserrato, Italy
| | - Maria Francesca Casula
- Department
of Mechanical, Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Cagliari, Via Marengo 2, IT 09123 Cagliari, Italy
| | - Claudio Melis
- Department
of Physics, University of Cagliari, I-09042 Monserrato, Italy
| | - Luigi Stagi
- Department
of Chemistry and Pharmacy, Laboratory of Materials Science and Nanotechnology, University of Sassari, Via Vienna 2, 07100 Sassari, Italy
| | - Aatto Laaksonen
- Department
of Chemical and Geological Sciences, University
of Cagliari, I-09042 Monserrato, Italy,Department
of Materials and Environmental Chemistry, Arrhenius Laboratory, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden,State Key
Laboratory of Materials-Oriented and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Tech University, Nanjing 210009, P. R. China,Centre
of Advanced Research in Bionanoconjugates and Biopolymers, PetruPoni Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry, Aleea Grigore Ghica-Voda 41A, 700487 Iasi, Romania,Division
of Energy Science, Energy Engineering, Luleå
University of Technology, Luleå 97187, Sweden,
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13
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Cai KB, Huang HY, Hsieh ML, Chen PW, Chiang SE, Chang SH, Shen JL, Liu WR, Yuan CT. Two-Dimensional Self-Assembly of Boric Acid-Functionalized Graphene Quantum Dots: Tunable and Superior Optical Properties for Efficient Eco-Friendly Luminescent Solar Concentrators. ACS NANO 2022; 16:3994-4003. [PMID: 35234037 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.1c09582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Carbon-based nanomaterials hold promise for eco-friendly alternatives to heavy-metal-containing quantum dots (QDs) in optoelectronic applications. Here, boric acid-functionalized graphene quantum dots (B-GQDs) were prepared using bottom-up molecular fusion based on nitrated pyrenes and boric acid. Such B-GQDs with crystalline graphitic structures and hydrogen-bonding functionalities would be suitable model systems for unraveling the photoluminescence (PL) mechanism, while serving as versatile building blocks for supramolecular self-assembly. Unlike conventional GQDs with multiple emissive states, the B-GQDs exhibited excitation-wavelength-independent, vibronic-coupled excitonic emission. Interestingly, their PL spectra can be tuned without largely sacrificing the quantum yield (QY) due to two-dimensional self-assembly. In addition, such B-GQDs in a polystyrene matrix possessed an ultrahigh QY (∼90%) and large exciton binding energy (∼300 meV). Benefiting from broadband absorption, ultrahigh QY, and long-wavelength emission, efficient laminated luminescent solar concentrators (100 × 100 × 6.3 mm3) were fabricated, yielding a high power conversion efficiency (1.4%).
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Affiliation(s)
- Kun-Bin Cai
- Department of Physics, Chung Yuan Christian University, Taoyuan 320314, Taiwan
| | - Hsiu-Ying Huang
- Department of Physics, Chung Yuan Christian University, Taoyuan 320314, Taiwan
| | - Meng-Lin Hsieh
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Chung Yuan Christian University, Taoyuan 320314, Taiwan
| | - Po-Wen Chen
- Physics Division, Institute of Nuclear Energy Research, Taoyuan 325207, Taiwan
| | - Shou-En Chiang
- Department of Physics, Chung Yuan Christian University, Taoyuan 320314, Taiwan
| | - Sheng Hsiung Chang
- Department of Physics, Chung Yuan Christian University, Taoyuan 320314, Taiwan
| | - Ji-Lin Shen
- Department of Physics, Chung Yuan Christian University, Taoyuan 320314, Taiwan
| | - Wei-Ren Liu
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Chung Yuan Christian University, Taoyuan 320314, Taiwan
- R&D Center for Membrane Technology, Chung Yuan Christian University, Taoyuan 320314, Taiwan
| | - Chi-Tsu Yuan
- Department of Physics, Chung Yuan Christian University, Taoyuan 320314, Taiwan
- R&D Center for Membrane Technology, Chung Yuan Christian University, Taoyuan 320314, Taiwan
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14
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Batra G, Sharma S, Kaushik K, Rao C, Kumar P, Kumar K, Ghosh S, Jariwala D, Stach EA, Yadav A, Nandi CK. Structural and spectroscopic characterization of pyrene derived carbon nano dots: a single-particle level analysis. NANOSCALE 2022; 14:3568-3578. [PMID: 35179158 DOI: 10.1039/d1nr07190d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The bottom-up approach has been widely used for large-scale synthesis of carbon nanodots (CNDs). However, the structure and origin of photoluminescence in CNDs synthesized by the bottom-up approach is still a subject of debate. Here, using a series of separation techniques like solvent extraction, column chromatography, gel electrophoresis and dialysis, we present three distinct fluorescent components in CNDs synthesized from pyrene, a well-known precursor molecule. The separated components have qualitative and quantitatively different absorption and emission spectral features including quantum yield (QY). Optical and vibrational spectroscopy techniques combined with electron microscopy indicate that a subtle balance between the extent of graphitization and the presence of molecular fluorophores determines the nature of fluorescence emission. A substantial difference in photons/cycle, single-particle fluorescence blinking, ON-OFF photoswitching strongly supports the distinct nature of the components.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gayatri Batra
- School of Basic Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Mandi, HP-175075, India.
- Advanced Materials Research Centre, Indian Institute of Technology, Mandi, HP-175075, India
| | - Shubham Sharma
- School of Basic Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Mandi, HP-175075, India.
- Advanced Materials Research Centre, Indian Institute of Technology, Mandi, HP-175075, India
| | - Kush Kaushik
- School of Basic Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Mandi, HP-175075, India.
- Advanced Materials Research Centre, Indian Institute of Technology, Mandi, HP-175075, India
| | - Chethana Rao
- School of Basic Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Mandi, HP-175075, India.
- Advanced Materials Research Centre, Indian Institute of Technology, Mandi, HP-175075, India
| | - Pawan Kumar
- Department of Electrical and Systems Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA-19104, USA
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA-19104, USA
| | - Krishan Kumar
- School of Basic Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Mandi, HP-175075, India.
- Advanced Materials Research Centre, Indian Institute of Technology, Mandi, HP-175075, India
| | - Subrata Ghosh
- School of Basic Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Mandi, HP-175075, India.
- Advanced Materials Research Centre, Indian Institute of Technology, Mandi, HP-175075, India
| | - Deep Jariwala
- Department of Electrical and Systems Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA-19104, USA
| | - Eric A Stach
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA-19104, USA
| | - Aditya Yadav
- School of Basic Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Mandi, HP-175075, India.
- Advanced Materials Research Centre, Indian Institute of Technology, Mandi, HP-175075, India
| | - Chayan Kanti Nandi
- School of Basic Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Mandi, HP-175075, India.
- Advanced Materials Research Centre, Indian Institute of Technology, Mandi, HP-175075, India
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15
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Mechanisms behind multicolor tunable Near-Infrared triple emission in graphene quantum dots and ratio fluorescent probe for water detection. J Colloid Interface Sci 2022; 617:182-192. [PMID: 35276519 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcis.2022.02.116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2021] [Revised: 02/18/2022] [Accepted: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Developing environmental-friendly and low-cost strategies of synthesizing red-emission graphene quantum dots (R-GQDs) is a considerable challenge. Herein, we present the green and facile preparation of R-GQDs by using o-phenylenediamine (o-PD) and catechol as precursors via oxidation/polymerization and Schiff base reaction at low temperature (80 °C) for 3 hrs. Results show that the prepared R-GQDs exhibit triple fluorescence emissions, which is enabled by the introduce of different nitrogen (pyrrolic N, pyridinic N, and amino N) species on the surface of R-GQDs. Moreover, the R-GQDs are implemented to detect the moisture in different organic solvent. A highly sensitive ratiometric sensing of water in organic solvents is achieved, and the relationship between the change of fluorescence signal caused by moisture and the corresponding internal emission site is also determined. In the end, the multicolor light emissions of R-GQDs are realized by simply adjusting the polarity of surrounding solvents. And based on the solvatochromism of R-GQDs, the multicolor solid fluorescent powder and ink are prepared for illumination application. All in all, the above research work presents a novel R-GQDs for wide application in detecting and illumination.
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16
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Chen Y, Xiong G, Zhu L, Huang J, Chen X, Chen Y, Cao M. Enhanced Fluorescence and Environmental Stability of Red-Emissive Carbon Dots via Chemical Bonding with Cellulose Films. ACS OMEGA 2022; 7:6834-6842. [PMID: 35252677 PMCID: PMC8892658 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.1c06426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
The development of red emission carbon dots with bright solid-state fluorescence would significantly broaden their application in optoelectronic devices and sensors. Herein, a red-emissive carbon dot-based nanocomposite has been synthesized through chemical bonding with cellulose films. The red emission originating from the surface states of carbon dots was maintained in the cellulose films. Due to the stable chemical bonding, the photoluminescence intensity and emission wavelength remained unchanged for 12 months, and the quantum yield of the composite was enhanced over 4 times. It also showed outstanding stability in water or weak acid-base environments under pHs ranging from 2 to 11. Therefore, the mechanism of chemical bonding that eliminated the defects and preserved the efficient radiative process through surface states was proposed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yeqing Chen
- School
of Applied Physics and Materials, Wuyi University, No. 22, Dongcheng Village, Jiangmen 529020, Guangdong, P. R. China
| | - Gaoyang Xiong
- School
of Applied Physics and Materials, Wuyi University, No. 22, Dongcheng Village, Jiangmen 529020, Guangdong, P. R. China
| | - Lina Zhu
- School
of Applied Physics and Materials, Wuyi University, No. 22, Dongcheng Village, Jiangmen 529020, Guangdong, P. R. China
| | - Jie Huang
- School
of Applied Physics and Materials, Wuyi University, No. 22, Dongcheng Village, Jiangmen 529020, Guangdong, P. R. China
| | - Xueying Chen
- School
of Applied Physics and Materials, Wuyi University, No. 22, Dongcheng Village, Jiangmen 529020, Guangdong, P. R. China
| | - Yan Chen
- School
of Applied Physics and Materials, Wuyi University, No. 22, Dongcheng Village, Jiangmen 529020, Guangdong, P. R. China
| | - Mingxuan Cao
- Faculty
of Intelligent Manufacturing, Wuyi University, No. 22, Dongcheng Village, Jiangmen 529020, Guangdong, P. R. China
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17
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Abbas F, Kumar S, Pal SK, Panda D. Carbon nanodot doped in polymer film: Plasmophore enhancement, catalytic amination and white-light generation. J Mol Liq 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.molliq.2021.118001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
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18
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Li D, Ushakova EV, Rogach AL, Qu S. Optical Properties of Carbon Dots in the Deep-Red to Near-Infrared Region Are Attractive for Biomedical Applications. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2021; 17:e2102325. [PMID: 34365728 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202102325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2021] [Revised: 06/07/2021] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Carbon dots (CDs) represent a recently emerged class of luminescent materials with a great potential for biomedical theranostics, and there are a lot of efforts to shift their absorption and emission toward deep-red (DR) to near-infrared (NIR) region falling in the biological transparency window. This review offers comprehensive insights into the synthesis strategies aimed to achieve this goal, and the current approaches of modulating the optical properties of CDs over the DR to NIR region. The underlying mechanisms of their absorption, photoluminescence, and chemiluminescence, as well as the related photophysical processes of photothermal conversion and formation of reactive oxygen species are considered. The already available biomedical applications of CDs, such as in the photoacoustic imaging and photothermal therapy, photodynamic therapy, and their use as bioimaging agents and drug carriers are then shortly summarized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Di Li
- Key Laboratory of Automobile Materials, Ministry of Education, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun, 130012, P. R. China
| | - Elena V Ushakova
- Center of Information Optical Technologies, ITMO University, Saint Petersburg, 197101, Russia
| | - Andrey L Rogach
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Centre for Functional Photonics (CFP), City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, 999077, P. R. China
- Shenzhen Research Institute, City University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, 518057, P. R. China
| | - Songnan Qu
- Joint Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education, Institute of Applied Physics and Materials Engineering, University of Macau, Avenida da Universidade, Taipa, Macau SAR, 999078, P. R. China
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19
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Gavalas S, Kelarakis A. Towards Red Emissive Systems Based on Carbon Dots. NANOMATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2021; 11:2089. [PMID: 34443920 PMCID: PMC8400426 DOI: 10.3390/nano11082089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2021] [Revised: 08/02/2021] [Accepted: 08/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Carbon dots (C-dots) represent an emerging class of nontoxic nanoemitters that show excitation wavelength-dependent photoluminescence (PL) with high quantum yield (QY) and minimal photobleaching. The vast majority of studies focus on C-dots that exhibit the strongest PL emissions in the blue/green region of the spectrum, while longer wavelength emissions are ideal for applications such as bioimaging, photothermal and photodynamic therapy and light-emitting diodes. Effective strategies to modulate the PL emission of C-dot-based systems towards the red end of the spectrum rely on extensive conjugation of sp2 domains, heteroatom doping, solvatochromism, surface functionalization and passivation. Those approaches are systematically presented in this review, while emphasis is given on important applications of red-emissive suspensions, nanopowders and polymer nanocomposites.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Antonios Kelarakis
- UCLan Research Centre for Smart Materials, School of Natural Sciences, University of Central Lancashire, Preston PR1 2HE, UK;
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20
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Xu J, Tao J, Su L, Wang J, Jiao T. A Critical Review of Carbon Quantum Dots: From Synthesis toward Applications in Electrochemical Biosensors for the Determination of a Depression-Related Neurotransmitter. MATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2021; 14:3987. [PMID: 34300909 PMCID: PMC8307216 DOI: 10.3390/ma14143987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2021] [Revised: 07/08/2021] [Accepted: 07/14/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Depression has become the leading cause of disability worldwide and is a global health burden. Quantitative assessment of depression-related neurotransmitter concentrations in human fluids is highly desirable for diagnosis, monitoring disease, and therapeutic interventions of depression. In this review, we focused on the latest strategies of CD-based electrochemical biosensors for detecting a depression-related neurotransmitter. We began this review with an overview of the microstructure, optical properties and cytotoxicity of CDs. Next, we introduced the development of synthetic methods of CDs, including the "Top-down" route and "Bottom-up" route. Finally, we highlighted detecting an application of CD-based electrochemical sensors in a depression-related neurotransmitter. Moreover, challenges and future perspectives on the recent progress of CD-based electrochemical sensors in depression-related neurotransmitter detection were discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingying Xu
- Mental Health Service Center and College of Marxism, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao 066004, China; (J.X.); (J.T.)
| | - Jiangang Tao
- Mental Health Service Center and College of Marxism, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao 066004, China; (J.X.); (J.T.)
| | - Lili Su
- Li Ren College, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao 066004, China;
| | - Jidong Wang
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Applied Chemistry, School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao 066004, China
| | - Tifeng Jiao
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Applied Chemistry, School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao 066004, China
- State Key Laboratory of Metastable Materials Science and Technology, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao 066004, China
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21
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Liang W, Wang P, Meziani MJ, Ge L, Yang L, Patel AK, Morgan SO, Sun YP. On the myth of "red/near-IR carbon quantum dots" from thermal processing of specific colorless organic precursors. NANOSCALE ADVANCES 2021; 3:4186-4195. [PMID: 36132851 PMCID: PMC9419825 DOI: 10.1039/d1na00286d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2021] [Accepted: 06/10/2021] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Carbon dots were originally found and reported as surface-passivated small carbon nanoparticles, where the effective surface passivation was the chemical functionalization of the carbon nanoparticles with organic molecules. Understandably, the very broad optical absorptions of carbon dots are largely the same as those intrinsic to the carbon nanoparticles, characterized by progressively decreasing absorptivities from shorter to longer wavelengths. Thus, carbon dots are generally weak absorbers in the red/near-IR and correspondingly weak emitters with low quantum yields. Much effort has been made on enhancing the optical performance of carbon dots in the red/near-IR, but without meaningful success due to the fact that optical absorptivities defined by Mother Nature are in general rather inert to any induced alterations. Nevertheless, there were shockingly casual claims in the literature on the major success in dramatically altering the optical absorption profiles of "carbon dots" by simply manipulating the dot synthesis to produce samples of some prominent optical absorption bands in the red/near-IR. Such claims have found warm receptions in the research field with a desperate need for carbon dots of the same optical performance in the red/near-IR as that in the green and blue. However, by looking closely at the initially reported synthesis and all its copies in subsequent investigations on the "red/near-IR carbon dots", one would find that the "success" of the synthesis by thermal or hydrothermal carbonization processing requires specific precursor mixtures of citric acid with formamide or urea. In the study reported here, the systematic investigation included precursor mixtures of citric acid with not only formamide or urea but also their partially methylated or permethylated derivatives for the carbonization processing under conditions similar to and beyond those commonly used and reported in the literature. Collectively all of the results are consistent only with the conclusion that the origins of the observed red/near-IR optical absorptions in samples from some of the precursor mixtures must be molecular chromophores from thermally induced chemical reactions, nothing to do with any nanoscale carbon entities produced by carbonization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weixiong Liang
- Department of Chemistry and Laboratory for Emerging Materials and Technology, Clemson University Clemson South Carolina 29634 USA
| | - Ping Wang
- Department of Chemistry and Laboratory for Emerging Materials and Technology, Clemson University Clemson South Carolina 29634 USA
| | - Mohammed J Meziani
- Department of Natural Sciences, Northwest Missouri State University Maryville Missouri 64468 USA
| | - Lin Ge
- Department of Chemistry and Laboratory for Emerging Materials and Technology, Clemson University Clemson South Carolina 29634 USA
| | - Liju Yang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Biomanufacturing Research Institute and Technology Enterprise, North Carolina Central University Durham NC 27707 USA
| | - Amankumar K Patel
- Department of Chemistry and Laboratory for Emerging Materials and Technology, Clemson University Clemson South Carolina 29634 USA
- Department of Natural Sciences, Northwest Missouri State University Maryville Missouri 64468 USA
| | - Sabina O Morgan
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Biomanufacturing Research Institute and Technology Enterprise, North Carolina Central University Durham NC 27707 USA
| | - Ya-Ping Sun
- Department of Chemistry and Laboratory for Emerging Materials and Technology, Clemson University Clemson South Carolina 29634 USA
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22
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Stepanidenko EA, Ushakova EV, Fedorov AV, Rogach AL. Applications of Carbon Dots in Optoelectronics. NANOMATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2021; 11:364. [PMID: 33535584 PMCID: PMC7912755 DOI: 10.3390/nano11020364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2020] [Revised: 01/22/2021] [Accepted: 01/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Carbon dots (CDs) are an attractive class of nanomaterials due to the ease of their synthesis, biocompatibility, and superior optical properties. The electronic structure of CDs and hence their optical transitions can be controlled and tuned over a wide spectral range via the choice of precursors, adjustment of the synthetic conditions, and post-synthetic treatment. We summarize recent progress in the synthesis of CDs emitting in different colors in terms of morphology and optical properties of the resulting nanoparticles, with a focus on the synthetic approaches allowing to shift their emission to longer wavelengths. We further consider formation of CD-based composite materials, and review approaches used to prevent aggregation and self-quenching of their emission. We then provide examples of applications of CDs in optoelectronic devices, such as solar cells and light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with a focus on white LEDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evgeniia A. Stepanidenko
- Center of Information Optical Technology, ITMO University, 197101 Saint Petersburg, Russia; (E.A.S.); (E.V.U.); (A.V.F.)
| | - Elena V. Ushakova
- Center of Information Optical Technology, ITMO University, 197101 Saint Petersburg, Russia; (E.A.S.); (E.V.U.); (A.V.F.)
- Centre for Functional Photonics (CFP), Department of Materials Science and Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
| | - Anatoly V. Fedorov
- Center of Information Optical Technology, ITMO University, 197101 Saint Petersburg, Russia; (E.A.S.); (E.V.U.); (A.V.F.)
| | - Andrey L. Rogach
- Centre for Functional Photonics (CFP), Department of Materials Science and Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China
- Shenzhen Research Institute, City University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen 518057, China
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