The Advances in Synthesis, Mechanisms and Applications of Room Temperature Phosphorescent Carbon Dots

Abstract

Researches into Carbon Dots (CDs) have been growing with impressive speed since the discovery in 2004. Such carbon nanomaterials own diverse photochemical/physical properties and favorable attributes like good biocompatibility, unique optical properties, low cost, abundant functional groups and high stability. However, among them, room temperature phosphorescence, as a conspicuously explore-deserved property of CDs, attracts researchers’ attentions recently. However, compared to well-researched organic luminophores and colloid quantum dots, the phosphorescence quantum yield and lifetime of RTP-CDs still have room to improve. Here we offer a forward-looking perspective on this field to comprehend the fundamentals of phosphorescence in CDs systems and propose new opportunities based on the discussion of CDs’ inherent structures and luminescence mechanisms. Considering that the existing reviews of RTP-CDs rarely focus on the phosphorescence mechanisms of CDs, we specifically discuss the achievement of emerging RTP-CDs with focus on their design strategies, synthesis, fundamental photochemical/physical mechanisms and possible applications. In this review, we will highlight how CDs’ structures infect their optical properties and how to regulate the most essential parameters: phosphorescence quantum yield, wavelength and lifetime for application requirements. Hopefully, this review can provide some inspirations for the future researches on RTP-CDs and other luminescent materials.