White luminescent single-crystalline chlorinated graphene quantum dots

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Optoelectronics

Background:

• White-light-emitting graphene quantum dots (WGQDs) are gaining attention for their unique properties and applications.
• Developing efficient and stable white luminescent materials remains a key challenge in optoelectronics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and synthesize a novel class of WGQDs with enhanced fluorescence and phosphorescence.
• To investigate the impact of chlorine doping and reaction temperature on WGQD properties.
• To explore the potential applications of these novel WGQDs.

Main Methods:

• Solvothermal molecular fusion strategy for WGQD synthesis.
• Modulation of chlorine doping concentration and reaction temperature.
• Characterization of structural, optical, and luminescence properties.

Main Results:

• Successfully synthesized WGQDs with single-crystalline structure and bright white fluorescence.
• Achieved a record fluorescence quantum yield of 34% for WGQDs.
• Demonstrated robust white phosphorescence for the first time, alongside broad-spectrum absorption and emission.

Conclusions:

• The developed WGQDs exhibit unique dual-mode optical characteristics due to synergistic effects of low defects and high chlorine doping.
• These WGQDs show significant potential for applications in white light emission devices, cell nuclei imaging, and information encryption.
• This work paves the way for designing advanced multifunctional luminescent materials based on metal-free carbon nanomaterials.