Synthesis and Applications of Carbon Nanodots

Abstract

The study was set out to explore the synthesis of Carbon Nanodots (CDs) and their potential in practical applications in lighting, sensing and biological areas. Toxicity evaluation was also involved in the investigation, because of its profound importance in the real-world applications of CDs. The study sought to answer the following questions: 1) how does the photoluminescence change when we vary the surface functional moieties and change the chemical compositions by doping? 2) For light applications, are the CDs stable enough under the operational conditions? If not, how to improve their stability? 3) How to impart sensing capabilities to CDs through surface design? 4) Are CDs really non-toxic? How does their toxicity change when surface functional groups vary? Through a series of studies, namely 1) salt-encapsulation for enhancing UV- and thermostability; 2) Transparent, yellow-emitting CD films for white light LEDs; 3) Amine-rich CDs for sensing amphetamine precursors; 4) Biocompatible CDs exhibiting antiproliferative activities, I have demonstrated that the emission of the CDs are controllable by modifying the particles surface moieties, and the excitation dependency of the emission can be refined by either fractionation or purification. Despite of what is often reported about the toxicity of CDs, the toxicity of the CDs depends on the surface functional groups of CDs and the biological entities. However, the toxicity of the CDs may be utilized as a therapeutic purpose. Further demonstration on the lighting and sensing may project the bright future of carbon based nanoparticles as an excellent candidate for these applications.