Blue- and green-emitting hydrophobic carbon dots: preparation, optical transition, and carbon dot-loading

Abstract In the past decade, hydrophobic fluorescent carbon dots (OCDs) have received little attention, and its potential application and light transition mechanism is seldom explored. Here we report a novel one-step approach for synthesizing blue- and green-emitting hydrophobic fluorescent carbon dots (OCD b and OCD g ) by calcinating with the uses of citric acid and hexadecylamine as initial reactants. The optimal conditions for preparing OCD b and OCD g were obtained by using the Taguchi L25 (3 5 ) orthogonal array. The highest quantum yield and product yield of OCDs reached 80.2% and 57.1%, respectively, larger than those from most of all the known reports. The fluorescent stability of OCD b and OCD g was excellent under UV irradiation (30 W) for days. The luminescent color of OCDs showed a great dependence on reaction conditions. It is easier to get OCD g via a reaction kept at a high temperature for a long time. The optical transition mechanism was studied for the two kinds of color OCDs, and therefore proposed in combination with their optical properties and surface groups. The reason for light transition is probably related to an appropriate critical ratio and surface density of the C=O and N–H bond in the surface structure of the product. For the OCD g, the concentration matching ratio of N–H and C=O bonds in the surface structure of the green-emitting product is approximately between d/2 and 3d/2, where d is a fixed constant. Lower than or higher than this critical ratio range, the product emits blue light. Based on their high fluorescence quantum efficiency and the advantages mentioned above, these OCDs were then respectively used for preparing hydrophobic fluorescent carbon dot-loading liposomes and acrylate films, both exhibiting a perfect performance with no fluorescence quenching.