Issue 8, 2022

Zn-assisted modification of the chemical structure of N-doped carbon dots and their enhanced quantum yield and photostability

Abstract

This article presents the Zn-assisted synthesis of N-doped carbon dots (N-CDs) with an enhanced quantum yield (QY) and photostability. There have been intensive studies to improve or tune the optical properties of carbon dots (CDs) to meet the demand for luminescent materials in various fields, including energy conversion, photocatalysis, bioimaging, and phototherapy. For these applications, the photostability of the CDs is also a critical factor, but the related studies are relatively less common. The Zn-assisted N-CDs (denoted as Zn:N-CDs) obtained by the addition of Zn(OAc)2 to the precursors during the synthesis of N-CDs not only exhibited an enhanced quantum yield but also improved photostability compared to those of N-CDs. A comprehensive study of the chemical composition of Zn:N-CD and N-CD using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicated a correlation between their chemical structure and photostability. Zn(OAc)2, which acts as a catalytic reagent, induced the modification of chemical structures at the edges of carbogenic sp2 domains, without being doped in N-CD, and the heteroatom–carbon bonds in Zn:N-CD seemed to be more resistant to light compared to those in N-CDs. The increased QY and photostability of Zn:N-CDs make them more suitable as an optical probe and they could be used in fingerprint identification. With Zn:N-CDs, the microstructure of fingerprints was confirmed clearly for a long duration effectively.

Graphical abstract: Zn-assisted modification of the chemical structure of N-doped carbon dots and their enhanced quantum yield and photostability

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
07 jan 2022
Accepted
09 mar 2022
First published
10 mar 2022
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

Nanoscale Adv., 2022,4, 2029-2035

Zn-assisted modification of the chemical structure of N-doped carbon dots and their enhanced quantum yield and photostability

S. Yun, E. S. Kang and J. Choi, Nanoscale Adv., 2022, 4, 2029 DOI: 10.1039/D2NA00013J

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