Temperature-Dependent Fluorescence in Carbon Dots

Abstract

Carbon dots are cost-effective, environmental friendly, and biocompatible nanoparticles with many potential applications in optoelectronics and biophotonics. Their dual fluorescence bands were observed and could be attributed to core and surface state emission. We also conduct temperature-dependent fluorescence measurements from cryogenic to room temperatures. The dual emission bands exhibit similar temperature dependence. The strong electron–electron interactions and weak electron–phonon interactions could account for the very broad photoluminescence (PL) band even at 77 K. Our experimental results also suggest that carbon dots exhibit similar temperature behavior as metallic quantum dots (nanoclusters) but are different from inorganic semiconductor quantum dots. Here, for the first time, we present the temperature-dependent spectroscopic results to shed some light on the presently unclear fluorescence mechanism.