The origin of fluorescence in carbon dots (C-dots) is still a puzzling phenomenon. The emission is, in most of the cases, due to molecular fluorophores formed in situ during the synthesis. The carbonization during C-dots processing does not allow, however, a fine control of the properties and makes finding the source of the fluorescence a challenging task. In this work, we present a strategy to embed a pre-formed fluorescent molecule, safranin O dye, into an amorphous carbonaceous dot obtained by citric acid carbonization. The dye is introduced in the melted solution of citric acid and after pyrolysis remains incorporated in a carbonaceous matrix to form red-emitting C-dots that are strongly resistant to photobleaching. Embedding dyes in amorphous C-dots represents an alternative method to optimize the emission in the whole visible spectrum.

Meloni, M., Stagi, L., Sanna, D., Garroni, S., Calvillo, L., Terracina, A., et al. (2022). Harnessing Molecular Fluorophores in the Carbon Dots Matrix: The Case of Safranin O. NANOMATERIALS, 12(14) [10.3390/nano12142351].

Harnessing Molecular Fluorophores in the Carbon Dots Matrix: The Case of Safranin O

Terracina, Angela;Cannas, Marco;Messina, Fabrizio;Malfatti, Luca
2022-07-09

Abstract

The origin of fluorescence in carbon dots (C-dots) is still a puzzling phenomenon. The emission is, in most of the cases, due to molecular fluorophores formed in situ during the synthesis. The carbonization during C-dots processing does not allow, however, a fine control of the properties and makes finding the source of the fluorescence a challenging task. In this work, we present a strategy to embed a pre-formed fluorescent molecule, safranin O dye, into an amorphous carbonaceous dot obtained by citric acid carbonization. The dye is introduced in the melted solution of citric acid and after pyrolysis remains incorporated in a carbonaceous matrix to form red-emitting C-dots that are strongly resistant to photobleaching. Embedding dyes in amorphous C-dots represents an alternative method to optimize the emission in the whole visible spectrum.
9-lug-2022
Meloni, M., Stagi, L., Sanna, D., Garroni, S., Calvillo, L., Terracina, A., et al. (2022). Harnessing Molecular Fluorophores in the Carbon Dots Matrix: The Case of Safranin O. NANOMATERIALS, 12(14) [10.3390/nano12142351].
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/10447/579993
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