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Self-exothermic reaction driven large-scale synthesis of phosphorescent carbon nanodots

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Abstract

Phosphorescent carbon nanodots (CNDs) have various attractive properties and potential applications, but it remains a formidable challenge to achieve large-scale phosphorescent CNDs limited by current methods. Herein, a large-scale synthesis method for phosphorescent CNDs has been demonstrated via precursors’ self-exothermic reaction at room temperature. The as-prepared CNDs show fluorescence and phosphorescence property, which are comparable with that synthesized by solvothermal and microwave method. Experimental and computational studies indicate that exotic atom doped sp2 hybridized carbon core works as an emissive center, which facilities the intersystem crossing from singlet state to triplet state. The CNDs show phosphorescence with tunable lifetimes from 193 ms to 1.13 s at different temperatures. The demonstration of large-scale synthesis of phosphorescent CNDs at room temperature opens up a new window for room temperature fabrication phosphorescent CNDs.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 11904326, U1804155, and U1604263), China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Nos. 2019TQ0287, 2019M662510), the Chemical Dynamics Research Center (Grant No. 21688102), the Key Technology Team of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. GJJSTD20190002).

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  1. Shi-Yu Song and Lai-Zhi Sui contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Henan Key Laboratory of Diamond Optoelectronic Materials and Devices, School of Physics and Microelectronics, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, China

    Shi-Yu Song, Kai-Kai Liu, Qing Cao, Wen-Bo Zhao, Ya-Chuan Liang, Chao-Fan Lv, Jin-Hao Zang, Yuan Shang, Qing Lou, Xi-Gui Yang, Lin Dong & Chong-Xin Shan

  2. State Key Laboratory of Molecular Reaction Dynamics, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 457 Zhongshan Road, Dalian, 116023, China

    Lai-Zhi Sui & Kai-Jun Yuan

  3. Super Computer Center, Smart City Institute, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, China

    Yuan Shang

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  1. Shi-Yu Song
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Correspondence to Kai-Kai Liu, Yuan Shang or Chong-Xin Shan.

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Song, SY., Sui, LZ., Liu, KK. et al. Self-exothermic reaction driven large-scale synthesis of phosphorescent carbon nanodots. Nano Res. 14, 2231–2240 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-020-3204-z

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