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Corresponding Author

Dai-Wen PANG(dwpang@whu.edu.cn)

Abstract

Carbon nanodots (CNDs), as zero-dimensional carbonaceous fluorescent nanomaterials, are valuable add-ons to the current cohorts of fluorescent nanoparticles. The fine control over the size and the surface is the key to gain designated photophysical properties of CNDs as well as empowers CNDs in many applications. Herein, a series of electrochemical strategies to manipulate the size and the surface of CNDs and to identify the surface structures was presented. Accordingly, the understandings on the originals of photoluminescence as well as the pathways of electrochemiluminescence of CNDs were revealed. These studies demonstrated that electrochemical methods were easy to operate, cost-effective and efficient in altering thin layers of the surface on CNDs within a few nanometers. The key findings in the luminescence mechanism provided guidelines for the rational design of CNDs with suitable features, which could promote applications of CNDs in bioimaging, sensing and catalytic conversion.

Graphical Abstract

Keywords

carbon nanodot, electrochemical method, luminescence mechanism, surface structure, electrochemiluminescence

Publication Date

2020-10-28

Online Available Date

2020-08-19

Revised Date

2020-08-02

Received Date

2020-06-30

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