Full-color and white circularly polarized luminescence from CdSe/ZnS quantum dots by chiral templates of cellulose nanocrystals

Abstract

Circularly polarized luminescence with high dissymmetry factor can be realized by introducing fluorescent materials into intrinsic chiral nematic mesostructures of cellulose nanocrystals. In particular, semiconductor quantum nanocrystals with optical activity have attracted great attention. In this paper, full-color and white right-handed circularly polarized luminescent freestanding films have been realized by doping CdSe/ZnS quantum dots into evaporation-induced and vacuum-assisted self-assembled cellulose nanocrystals, respectively. Excellent circularly polarized luminescence with dissymmetry factor on the order of 10⁻¹ for both narrowband and broadband chiral optics is demonstrated, offering easy and powerful platforms for potential applications.