Abstract
In this report, high-brightness green carbon dots were successfully prepared using 3,5-diaminobenzoic acid as the sole precursor and synthesized in one step using a solvothermal strategy. Under the excitation of 365 nm ultraviolet light, the quantum yield of carbon dots is as high as 53.8%. Experiments revealed that the carbon dots are highly carbonized and the surface is rich in amino and carboxyl groups. The synthesized carbon dots have good water solubility, and are resistant to ions and temperature. The fluorescence intensity of CDs is sensitive to pH changes and is linearly correlated with the pH in the near-neutral range (pH = 6.0 to 9.0). Our experiments showed that carbon dots were sensitive and accurate fluorescent probes for measuring the pH value of drinking water, which could provide an effective method for measuring the pH value of water in the future.
Highlights
Carbon dots (CDs) are a new type of zero-dimension photoluminescent nanomaterial with a size less than 10 nm [1]
Studies have shown that more amino groups are favorable for the fluorescence emission of CDs, which is the reason for the high quantum yield (QY) of the CDs [25,26]
The absorption bands at 3451 and 1466 cm−1 belong to -OH and -C=O, confirming the presence of carboxyl groups, while 1614 cm−1 is from -C=N in the phenazine structure
Summary
Carbon dots (CDs) are a new type of zero-dimension photoluminescent nanomaterial with a size less than 10 nm [1]. CDs exhibit outstanding wide-range fluorescence, stable optical properties, and biocompatibility. They have a simple and abundant synthetic path and pollution-free precursors. Compared to other synthetic routes for preparing CDs, the solvothermal method is an effective bottom-up method for synthesizing CDs that can be modified by polymerization and carbonization of precursors [13]. Thank to their excellent physical and chemical properties, there is no denying that CDs are promising nanomaterials to replace the traditional quantum dot in many fields. CDs’ research and application face several challenges due to their complex chemical structures, random surface functional groups, and low quantum yield (QY)
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