Carbon dots (CDs) are a novel form of carbon nanomaterial having luminous properties, photostability, biocompatibility, and ease of manufacturing. Despite broad interest in CDs, a fundamental understanding of how to design and synthesize them for specific properties is incomplete. Greater efforts have been undertaken to increase the PL performance of CDs by utilizing the heteroatom doping process especially using nitrogen (N). However, studies of how differences in N-source structure affect optical properties of CDs are lacking. The objective of this project is to study the effect of linear, cyclic and aromatic N source on optical properties and to understand how selecting proper structure alter final properties. This was accomplished by synthesizing N-doped CDs from 1,6-Hexamethylenediamine (HMD), trans-1,4-Cyclohexanediamine (CHD), and para-Phenylenediamine (pPD), keeping the C:N (6:2) constant and only changing the structure. This study relates the initial chemical state of nitrogen to the nitrogen atoms incorporated into the sp<sup>2</sup> domains in the pyrrolic, pyridinic, and graphitic configuration which is known to control the redshift.

Comparison of linear, cyclic, and aromatic reagents in nitrogen-doped carbon dots

ACS Spring 2022

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