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Bandgap engineering of coal-derived graphene quantum dots
Ruquan Ye, Zhiwei Peng, Andrew Metzger
1||College of Electronic Information and Control Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing 100124, China.
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
|March 12, 2015
Summary
Researchers engineered photoluminescent graphene quantum dots (GQDs) from anthracite, controlling their size to tune bandgaps for tunable light emission. This offers a scalable method for producing customized GQDs.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Chemistry
Background:
- Graphene quantum dots (GQDs) are promising photoluminescent nanomaterials.
- Controlling GQD properties is crucial for their applications.
- Anthracite is an abundant carbon source for GQD synthesis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To engineer the bandgaps of photoluminescent graphene quantum dots (GQDs) derived from anthracite.
- To establish scalable methods for producing GQDs with tailored sizes and bandgaps.
Main Methods:
- Two methods were employed: 1) Chemical oxidative treatment and separation by cross-flow ultrafiltration. 2) A facile one-step chemical synthesis using successively higher temperatures.
- GQD size was controlled to engineer bandgaps.
Main Results:
- Synthesized GQDs with tunable sizes and bandgaps.
- Achieved photoluminescence emission ranging from blue-green (2.9 eV) to orange-red (2.05 eV).
- Emission color is dependent on GQD size, functionalities, and defects.
Conclusions:
- GQD bandgaps can be effectively engineered by controlling their size.
- Coal-derived GQDs offer a viable route for scalable production of customized nanomaterials.
- Findings provide deeper insights into the nature of coal-derived GQDs.
