Hour-Level Persistent Multicolor Phosphorescence Enabled by Carbon Dot-Based Nanocomposites Through a...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Photophysics

Background:

• Persistent room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) is crucial for advanced optical applications.
• Existing RTP systems often face challenges with stability and duration.
• Developing robust and long-lasting RTP materials remains a significant research goal.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel carbon dots (CDs)-based system exhibiting hour-level persistent room temperature phosphorescence (RTP).
• To investigate the synthesis, structure, and mechanism of this new persistent RTP material.
• To demonstrate the practical applications of the developed material.

Main Methods:

• Efficient synthesis of silica-confined carbon dots integrated with boron oxide (Si-CDs@B2O3) via pyrolysis.
• Characterization using X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM).
• Evaluation of persistent RTP properties under environmental conditions and investigation of quenching mechanisms.

Main Results:

• Successfully synthesized Si-CDs@B2O3 with a simple pyrolysis method.
• Deduced binding modes and confirmed the formation of covalent bonds between B2O3, SiO2, and CDs.
• Observed hour-level persistent RTP under ambient conditions, attributed to multi-confinement and covalent bonding that prevents quenching.

Conclusions:

• The Si-CDs@B2O3 system represents a rare example of stable, hour-level persistent RTP material.
• Covalent bonding within the multi-confined structure is key to activating and stabilizing RTP.
• Demonstrated potential applications in anti-counterfeiting, long-duration phosphorescence imaging, and fingerprinting.