Synthesis and Unique Photoluminescence Properties of Nitrogen-Rich Quantum Dots and Their Applications†
This work was supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program: 2013CB933800, 2012CB720600), National Natural Science Foundation of China (21372015), and the Innovation Team of the Ministry of Education (BMU20110263). We thank Prof. Ivan Dmochowski for proofreading and helpful suggestions.
Graphical Abstract
A new member of the family: Nitrogen-rich quantum dots were serendipitously synthesized at low temperature. These N-dots contain a high percentage of the element nitrogen and have unique photoluminescence properties. The photoluminescence behavior of N-dot solutions can be adjusted from blue to green simply by variation of reaction temperature. These N-dots show promising applications as fluorescent ink and biocompatible staining.
Abstract
Nitrogen-rich quantum dots (N-dots) were serendipitously synthesized in methanol or aqueous solution at a reaction temperature as low as 50 °C. These N-dots have a small size (less than 10 nm) and contain a high percentage of the element nitrogen, and are thus a new member of quantum-dot family. These N-dots show unique and distinct photoluminescence properties with an increasing percentage of nitrogen compared to the neighboring carbon dots. The photoluminescence behavior was adjusted from blue to green simply through variation of the reaction temperature. Furthermore, the detailed mechanism of N-dot formation was also proposed with the trapped intermediate. These N-dots have also shown promising applications as fluorescent ink and biocompatible staining in C. elegans.
