Effect of surfactant surface nature on the energy transfer efficiency (η) of a carbon dot-dye system

Abstract

Carbon dots (CDs) have unique optoelectronic properties and are considered efficient fluorescent probes as organic dyes, semiconducting quantum dots, metallic clusters, etc. A carbon dot-dye system has been established to study alternative photoelectric conversion processes. For this purpose, a CuO-associated CD was synthesized using a green chemical method. The energy conversion efficiency was monitored using a cationic, anionic, and neutral dye. The nature of the dye has an important effect on the energy transfer process. This limitation from its electrostatic nature was overcome by introducing a surfactant into the system. Both positively and negatively charged surfactants were used in this study. The nature of the surfactant was found to have a significant effect on the energy transfer process within positively charged CDs and organic dyes. The individual interactions within surfactant-CD and surfactant-dye system can cause modification. This CD-dye-surfactant system with further modifications can be used appropriately in dye-sensitized solar cells.