Hydrophobic carbon dots with blue dispersed emission and red aggregation-induced emission

Carbon dots (CDs) have been studied for years as one of the most promising fluorescent nanomaterials. However, CDs with red or solid-state fluorescence are rarely reported. Herein, through a one-pot solvothermal treatment, hydrophobic CDs (H-CDs) with blue dispersed emission and red aggregation-induced emission are obtained. When water is introduced, the hydrophobic interaction leads to aggregation of the H-CDs. The formation of H-CD clusters induces the turning off of the blue emission, as the carbonized cores suffer from π-π stacking interactions, and the turning on of the red fluorescence, due to restriction of the surfaces' intramolecular rotation around disulfide bonds, which conforms to the…

• NN
  National Natural Science Foundation of China

  Awards: 51402207, 11874021, 21571067, U1501242, 61675072
• NS
  Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province

  Awards: S2013030012842, No. S2013030012842