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Synthesis, mechanical investigation, and application of nitrogen and phosphorus co-doped carbon dots with a high photoluminescent quantum yield

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Abstract

Heteroatom-doped carbon dots (CDs) with a high photoluminescent quantum yield (PLQY) have recently attracted attention due to their applications in chemical sensors, photocatalysis, bioimaging, and drug delivery. Nitrogen and phosphorus are in close proximity to carbon in the periodic table and are key tracking elements in the field of biomedical imaging. These two elements alter the optical and electronic properties of CDs and help improve the fundamental understanding of their PLQY. This can also lead to multifunctional usage in photoimaging and photothermal therapy. However, most PLQYs resulting from the synthesis of P-doped CDs are currently below 50%. These CDs have limited usefulness in the fields of bioimaging and drug delivery. In this study, a single-step, high-efficiency hydrothermal method was applied to synthesize nitrogen and phosphorous-doped carbon dots ((N,P)-CDs) with a PLQY of up to 53.8% with independent emission behavior. Moreover, the CDs presented high monodispersity, robust excitation-independent luminescence, and stability over a large pH range. Spectroscopic investigations indicated that the PLQY of the (N,P)-CDs was primarily due to the addition of P and the passivation effect of the oxidized surface. The excellent fluorescence properties of (N,P)-CDs can be effectively and selectively quenched by Hg2+ ions. Such systems show a linear response in the 0–900 nM concentration range with a short response time, indicating their potential for applications in the fields of chemistry and biology.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the Beijing Nova Program (No. Z171100001117058), Beijing Nova program Interdisciplinary Studies Cooperative Project, Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Project (No. Z161100001316010), State Key Laboratory of Silicate Materials for Architecture (No. SYSJJ2016-05), Medical Science Youth Training Program (No. 16PNQ145), Defense Technology Project Fund (No. 3408080), Translational Medicine Project of PLAGH (No. 2016TM-019), and the National Science Foundation for Young Scientists of China (No. 81402216) for the support. This work was obtained with the resources and financial support of National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory in Hefei.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing, China University of Petroleum (Beijing), Beijing, 102249, China

    Quan Xu, Bofan Li, Yingchun Ye, Wei Cai & Weijun Li

  2. Department of Pharmacy, Sichuan Academy of Medical Science & Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 610072, China

    Chuanyao Yang & Lulu Cai

  3. Department of Chemistry, University of Akron, Akron, Ohio, 44325, USA

    Yusheng Chen

  4. Department of Orthopedics, General Hospital of Chinese People’s Liberation Army, Beijing, 100853, China

    Meng Xu

  5. State Key Laboratory of Silicate Materials for Architectures, Wuhan University of Technology, Wuhan, 430070, China

    Neng Li

  6. National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory (NSRL), University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230029, China

    Xusheng Zheng

  7. Department of Sustainable Bioproducts, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS, 39762, USA

    Jason Street

  8. Department of Chemical Engineering, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA

    Yan Luo

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  1. Quan Xu
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  9. Neng Li
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  11. Jason Street
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  12. Yan Luo
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  13. Lulu Cai
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Correspondence to Quan Xu, Neng Li or Lulu Cai.

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12274_2017_1937_MOESM1_ESM.pdf

Synthesis, mechanical investigation, and application of nitrogen and phosphorus co-doped carbon dots with a high photoluminescent quantum yield

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Xu, Q., Li, B., Ye, Y. et al. Synthesis, mechanical investigation, and application of nitrogen and phosphorus co-doped carbon dots with a high photoluminescent quantum yield. Nano Res. 11, 3691–3701 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-017-1937-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-017-1937-0

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