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The fluorescence mechanism of carbon dots, and methods for tuning their emission color: a review

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Abstract

Carbon dots (CDs) display tunable photoluminescence and excitation-wavelength dependent emission. The color of fluorescence is affected by electronic bandgap transitions of conjugated π-domains, surface defect states, local fluorophores and element doping. In this review (with 145 refs.), the studies performed in the past 5 years on the relationship between the fluorescence mechanism and modes for modulating the emission color of CDs are summarized. The applications of such CDs in sensors and assays are then outlined. A concluding section then gives an outlook and describes current challenges in the design of CDs with different emission colors.

Schematic representation of the relationship between the color-emitting (blue, green, yellow, red and multicolor) modulation of carbon dots and fluorescence mechanism including bandgap transitions of conjugated π-domains and surface defect states.

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Acknowledgements

The work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51678409, 51638011 and 51578375), Tianjin Research Program of Application Foundation and Advanced Technology (18JCYBJC87500, 15ZCZDSF00880), State Key Laboratory of Separation Membranes and Membrane Processes (Z1-201507), and the Program for Innovative Research Team in University of Tianjin (TD13-5042).

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  1. State Key Laboratory of Separation Membranes and Membrane Processes/National Center for International Joint Research on Separation Membranes, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Tianjin, 300387, People’s Republic of China

    Fanyong Yan, Zhonghui Sun, Hao Zhang, Xiaodong Sun, Yingxia Jiang & Zhangjun Bai

  2. State Key Laboratory of Chemo/Biosensing and Chemometrics, Provincial Hunan Key Laboratory for Cost-effective Utilization of Fossil Fuel Aimed at Reducing Carbon dioxide Emissions, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University, Changsha, 410082, Hunan, China

    Zhangjun Bai

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  1. Fanyong Yan
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Yan, F., Sun, Z., Zhang, H. et al. The fluorescence mechanism of carbon dots, and methods for tuning their emission color: a review. Microchim Acta 186, 583 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-019-3688-y

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