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Controlling surface states using different functional groups is an effective and facile way to modulate
the fluorescence of carbon dots (CDs), but the underlying mechanisms are still unclear and urgent to
solve. In this work, we synthesized red emitting CDs and achieved multiple emission states (red, green
and blue emission) by tailoring the surface states with different amino groups. In particular, the
luminescence mechanism and the role of surface states were studied in detail. It is found that the
multiple emission states are related to the speciation of nitrogen (pyridinic N, pyrrolic N, graphitic N and
amino N) on the surface of CDs, of which the fluorophore formed by the deformation of
p-phenylenediamine contributes to the red emission, pyridinic N is responsible for the green emission
Received 4th September 2018, state, and pyrrolic N enhances the blue emission. A possible energy level diagram was proposed to
Accepted 16th October 2018 disclose the electron transition process and relative levels induced by different surface groups on CDs.
DOI: 10.1039/c8tc04468f In addition, the modulated CDs with multiple emission states can be used as single light converters to
fabricate a white light-emitting diode, which has white light color coordinates of (0.31, 0.32), a high
1
rsc.li/materials-c color rendering index (CRI) of 85, a luminous efficiency of 8.8 lm W and good stability.
1 Introduction states.17 The quantum size effect is not easy to use compared
with the semiconductor quantum dots, since it is more difficult
As a new type of fluorescent carbon material, carbon dots (CDs) to control the size of CDs. Fortunately, the two latter lumines-
have attracted broad scientific interest due to their unique cence mechanisms provide a facile method to modulate the
properties.1 Compared with conventional semiconductor fluorescence of CDs through controlling the surface states with
quantum dots,2 CDs are superior to dye-based fluorescence different functional groups.18 Different functional groups
probes for imaging and sensing due to the advantages of can form various surface states during the formation of CDs.
excellent biocompatibility, low toxicity, tunable photolumines- Traditionally, most researchers introduced a variety of func-
cence (PL) and less photobleaching.3–6 They have been applied tional groups in the preparation of CDs, which is not conducive
in various fields, such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs),7,8 water to studying the impact of specific functional groups on the
splitting,9,10 and photocatalysis.11,12 Since the discovery of CDs,13 surface state. In addition, the surface state is a vague concept
different luminescence mechanisms of CDs have been proposed. for the luminescence mechanism. It is significant to further
Although there is no uniform explanation, the luminescence elaborate the meanings of surface states and deeply investigate
mechanism of CDs is generally related to the quantum size the effects of surface states formed by specific functional
effect,14,15 recombination of electron–hole pairs,16 or surface groups on luminescence properties.
Amino groups are very useful in modulating the lumines-
a
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Hebei University of Technology, cence properties of CDs because nitrogen not only can be used
Tianjin 300130, China. E-mail: zhangxinghua@hebut.edu.cn as a doping element, but can also form a variety of surface
b
Department of Electronics, Nankai University, Tianjin 300350, China
c
states on CDs, such as pyridinic N, pyrrolic N, amino N and
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072,
China. E-mail: hui_liu@tju.edu.cn
so on, which greatly affects the luminescence properties
† Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Emission and excitation of CDs.19,20 Various materials and methods have been used to
spectra of p-CDs, EDA-CDs, PEI-CDs, and pro-CDs. Photoluminescence spectra of synthesize N-doped CDs, and the luminescence properties of
the p-CDs in different solvents excited by 365 nm. Emission spectra of the CDs are influenced by the amounts, ratios, or speciation of
prepared CDs by changing pH values (1–7) with addition of HCl. Emission spectra
doped nitrogen. Dong et al.16 proposed that nitrogen doping
of the prepared CDs by changing pH values (7–14) with addition of NaOH. The
UV-Vis absorption and FTIR spectra of p-CDs, EDA-CDs, PEI-CDs and pro-CDs,
generated a new surface state, which would increase the
respectively. The atomic percentages of four kinds of CDs. See DOI: 10.1039/ radiative recombination rate of electrons as a recombination
c8tc04468f center. Xu et al.21 compared several kinds of N-doped CDs and
This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2018 J. Mater. Chem. C, 2018, 6, 12631--12637 | 12631
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found that nitrogen existed in the –NO3 form which contributed was added to the prepared solution. PEI-CDs, p-CDs and pro-CDs
little to the radiative recombination and only nitrogen bonding to were synthesized in the same way.
carbon could really enhance the emission of CDs. Qian et al.22,23
prepared a series of CDs and the results suggested that amino and 2.3 Fabrication of the white LED
pyrrolic N could promote radiative recombination by generating Since the pro-CDs have blue, green and red emissions under
more protonation processes or aromatic structures, and these 365 nm excitation, we selected a UV LED chip as a light source
were responsible for the improvement in the luminescence to excite the pro-CDs and realize white light emission.
properties. Sarker et al.24 revealed that the presence of graphitic
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p-CDs, the EDA-CDs (Fig. 3b) display only one emission peak
centered at 508 nm under different excitation wavelengths and
the emission peak intensity increases with the increase in EDA
amounts (as shown in Fig. S1a, ESI†). It is observed that the
EDA-CDs show excitation properties before 460 nm excitation,
which is different from the p-CDs with excitation independence.
The introduction of EDA greatly changes the emission states of
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and 404 nm, except for the peak above 404 nm of PEI-CDs with Table 1 The nitrogen speciation percentages of four kinds of CDs
a long absorption tail and the absence of an absorption band at
Pyridinic N Amino N Pyrrolic N Graphitic N
500 nm. Compared with p-CDs, pro-CDs show the same absorp- Sample (atom%) (atom%) (atom%) (atom%)
tion peaks at 225–282 nm and 405 nm, but pro-CDs exhibit
p-CDs 27 61 12 —
obvious absorption peaks at 504 nm instead of the broad peak EDA-CDs 97 — 3 —
of p-CDs. PEI-CDs 53 36 11 —
These absorption changes disclose that surface states have pro-CDs 35 18 18 29
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Conflicts of interest
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