Volume 63, Issue 49 e202410988
Research Article

Hydrogen Bond-Induced Flexible and Twisted Self-Assembly of Functionalized Carbon Dots with Customized-Color Circularly Polarized Luminescence

Dr. Lin Ai

Dr. Lin Ai

College of Chemistry, Pingyuan Laboratory, Zhengzhou University, 450001 Zhengzhou, China

L. A., W. X. and Z.-W. L. contributed equally to this work.

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Dr. Wenjuan Xiang

Dr. Wenjuan Xiang

College of Chemistry, Pingyuan Laboratory, Zhengzhou University, 450001 Zhengzhou, China

L. A., W. X. and Z.-W. L. contributed equally to this work.

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Dr. Zhan-Wei Li

Dr. Zhan-Wei Li

College of Chemistry, Pingyuan Laboratory, Zhengzhou University, 450001 Zhengzhou, China

L. A., W. X. and Z.-W. L. contributed equally to this work.

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Dr. Huimin Liu

Dr. Huimin Liu

College of Chemistry, Pingyuan Laboratory, Zhengzhou University, 450001 Zhengzhou, China

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Dr. Jiping Xiao

Dr. Jiping Xiao

College of Chemistry, Pingyuan Laboratory, Zhengzhou University, 450001 Zhengzhou, China

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Dr. Haoqiang Song

Dr. Haoqiang Song

College of Chemistry, Pingyuan Laboratory, Zhengzhou University, 450001 Zhengzhou, China

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Dr. Jingkun Yu

Dr. Jingkun Yu

College of Chemistry, Pingyuan Laboratory, Zhengzhou University, 450001 Zhengzhou, China

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Dr. Ziqi Song

Dr. Ziqi Song

College of Chemistry, Pingyuan Laboratory, Zhengzhou University, 450001 Zhengzhou, China

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Dr. Kai Zhu

Dr. Kai Zhu

College of Chemistry, Pingyuan Laboratory, Zhengzhou University, 450001 Zhengzhou, China

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Dr. Zhuohan Pan

Dr. Zhuohan Pan

College of Chemistry, Pingyuan Laboratory, Zhengzhou University, 450001 Zhengzhou, China

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Dr. Haolin Wang

Dr. Haolin Wang

College of Chemistry, Pingyuan Laboratory, Zhengzhou University, 450001 Zhengzhou, China

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Prof. Siyu Lu

Corresponding Author

Prof. Siyu Lu

College of Chemistry, Pingyuan Laboratory, Zhengzhou University, 450001 Zhengzhou, China

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First published: 16 September 2024
Citations: 9

Graphical Abstract

We report the exciting discovery of the surface modification of carbon dots drives the construction of an assembly asymmetric environment to realize a full-color circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) in the aggregated state. Moreover, we explore panchromatic as well as white-light CPL applications of light emitting diodes and large flexible optical films, which provide new material strategies for virtual reality, medical imaging, and scientific visualization, among others.

Abstract

Circularly polarized luminescence (CPL) has numerous applications in optical data storage, quantum computing, bioresponsive imaging, liquid crystal displays, and backlights in three-dimensional (3D) displays. In addition to their competitive optical properties, carbon dots (CDs) benefit from simple and low-cost preparation, facile post-modification, and excellent resistance to photo- and chemical bleaching after carbonization. Combining the superior optical performance with polarization peculiarities through hierarchical structure engineering is imperative for the development of CDs. In this study, hydrophobic interactions of aromatic ligands, which participate in the surface-ligand post-modification process on the ground-state chiral carbon core, are employed to drive the oriented assembly. Furthermore, the residual chiral amides on CDs form multiple hydrogen bonds during gradual aggregation, causing the assembled materials to form an asymmetric bending structure. Superficial ligands interfere with the optical dynamics of the exciton radiation transition and stabilize the excited state of the assembled materials to achieve a circularly polarized signal. The linkage ligands overcome the frequent aggregation-induced quenching phenomenon that present difficulties in conventional CDs, facilitate the assembly of self-supporting films, and improve chiral optical expression. The full-color and white CPL are manipulated by simply adjusting the functional groups of the ligands, which also illustrates the versatility of the post-modification strategy. Finally, large chiral flexible films and multicolor chiral light-emitting diodes based on the stable chiral powder phosphors were constructed, thereby providing feasible materials and technical support for flexible 3D displays.

Conflict of Interests

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Data Availability Statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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