In this paper, spherical carbon dots (CDs) with distinct compositions and surface states have been successfully synthesized by a facile microwave method. From the fluorescence spectra, several characteristic luminescence features have been observed: surface amino groups are dominant in the whole emission spectra centering at 445 nm, and the fingerprint emissions relevant to the impurity levels formed by some groups related to C and N elements, including C-C/C=C (intrinsic C), C-N (graphitic N), N-containing heterocycles (pyridine N) and C=O groups, are located around 305 nm, 355 nm, 410 nm, and 500 nm, respectively. Those fine luminescence features could be ascribed to the electron transition among various trapping states within the band structure caused by different chemical bonds in carbon cores, or functional groups attached to the CDs’ surfaces. According to the theoretical calculations and experimental results, a scheme of the band structure has been proposed to describe the positions of those trapping states within the band gap. Additionally, it has also been observed that the emission of CDs is sensitive to the concentration of Fe3+ ions with a linear relation in the range of Fe3+ concentration from 12.5 to 250 μM.

Clarifying the luminescence mechanism of nitrogen related surface states for carbon dots.

No abstract

Polycrystalline erbium-doped Y3Ga5O12 garnet (YGG) nanofilms are deposited by atomic layer deposition on Si substrates after annealing down to 800 °C, based on which the ~1.53 μm electroluminescence (EL) devices...

No abstract