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Dual-functional carbon dots based on sorbic acid application in bimodal probing and white LEDs
Meizhu Rong1, Jiani Shen1, Jianfen Jiang1
1Yunnan Key Laboratory of Modern Separation Analysis and Substance Transformation, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming 650500, China.
Spectrochimica Acta. Part A, Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy
|November 26, 2025
Summary
Researchers created bifunctional carbon dots (CDs) from sorbic acid for dual sensing and photoelectronic applications. These CDs show unique bimodal sensing and high solid-state efficiency, enabling direct use in white LEDs.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Analytical Chemistry
Background:
- Carbon dots (CDs) are versatile nanomaterials with unique optical properties.
- Developing CDs with multiple functionalities, such as sensing and photoelectronic capabilities, is a key research area.
- Overcoming limitations like aggregation-caused quenching in solid-state applications is crucial for practical use.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize bifunctional carbon dots (CDs) from a single precursor, sorbic acid.
- To investigate the dual sensing capabilities (down-conversion and up-conversion photoluminescence) of the synthesized CDs.
- To evaluate the potential of these CDs in optoelectronic devices, specifically white LEDs.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of carbon dots using sorbic acid as a single precursor.
- Characterization of the synthesized CDs' optical properties, including photoluminescence in both down-conversion (DPL) and up-conversion (UPL) modes.
- Testing the sensing performance by correlating fluorescence intensity with acetonitrile concentration in acetone/acetonitrile mixtures.
- Assessing the solid-state performance, including external quantum yield (EQY) and suitability for white LED integration.
Main Results:
- Successfully synthesized bifunctional carbon dots (CDs) with dual sensing and photoelectronic properties.
- Demonstrated rare bimodal sensing capabilities with linear correlations for acetonitrile detection (R² = 0.9583 for DPL, R² = 0.9103 for UPL).
- Achieved a high solid-state external quantum yield of 32%, overcoming aggregation-caused quenching.
- Showcased the direct integration of CDs into white LEDs without complex post-processing.
Conclusions:
- Sorbic acid is an effective single precursor for synthesizing bifunctional carbon dots.
- The developed CDs exhibit promising bimodal sensing and excellent solid-state photoelectronic properties.
- These bifunctional CDs offer a novel platform for advanced sensing applications and direct integration into optoelectronic devices like white LEDs.
