{"title":"Room temperature red phosphorescence enabled by alkali treatment in niobium carbide-derived carbon dots","authors":"Bramhaiah Kommula , Vinay Kumar Sriramadasu , Santanu Bhattacharyya","doi":"10.1016/j.jlumin.2025.121591","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) and afterglow emission in carbon dots (CDs) are typically achieved by embedding them into rigid external matrices to suppress vibrational relaxation. However, matrix dependence limits their practical utility. Herein, we demonstrated a simple solution-based acid-etching method to introduce a matrix-free approach for RTP and afterglow emission in CDs. Acid treatment cleaves metal-carbon bonds, forming well-defined CDs that, after alkali neutralization, exhibit strong blue fluorescence in solution. Upon solidification, the CDs emit yellowish-green fluorescence and red afterglow, lasting ∼1 s, without any additional matrix. CDs obtained directly from acidic or neutral conditions show no observable phosphorescence. Time-resolved area-normalized emission spectroscopy reveals that alkaline conditions promote surface rigidity and interchromophoric interactions, enhancing intersystem crossing and suppressing aggregation-induced quenching. This work demonstrates a robust, matrix-free approach for CD RTP with promising solid-state photonic and security applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":16159,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Luminescence","volume":"288 ","pages":"Article 121591"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6000,"publicationDate":"2025-10-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Luminescence","FirstCategoryId":"101","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022231325005319","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"物理与天体物理","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"OPTICS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) and afterglow emission in carbon dots (CDs) are typically achieved by embedding them into rigid external matrices to suppress vibrational relaxation. However, matrix dependence limits their practical utility. Herein, we demonstrated a simple solution-based acid-etching method to introduce a matrix-free approach for RTP and afterglow emission in CDs. Acid treatment cleaves metal-carbon bonds, forming well-defined CDs that, after alkali neutralization, exhibit strong blue fluorescence in solution. Upon solidification, the CDs emit yellowish-green fluorescence and red afterglow, lasting ∼1 s, without any additional matrix. CDs obtained directly from acidic or neutral conditions show no observable phosphorescence. Time-resolved area-normalized emission spectroscopy reveals that alkaline conditions promote surface rigidity and interchromophoric interactions, enhancing intersystem crossing and suppressing aggregation-induced quenching. This work demonstrates a robust, matrix-free approach for CD RTP with promising solid-state photonic and security applications.
期刊介绍:
The purpose of the Journal of Luminescence is to provide a means of communication between scientists in different disciplines who share a common interest in the electronic excited states of molecular, ionic and covalent systems, whether crystalline, amorphous, or liquid.
We invite original papers and reviews on such subjects as: exciton and polariton dynamics, dynamics of localized excited states, energy and charge transport in ordered and disordered systems, radiative and non-radiative recombination, relaxation processes, vibronic interactions in electronic excited states, photochemistry in condensed systems, excited state resonance, double resonance, spin dynamics, selective excitation spectroscopy, hole burning, coherent processes in excited states, (e.g. coherent optical transients, photon echoes, transient gratings), multiphoton processes, optical bistability, photochromism, and new techniques for the study of excited states. This list is not intended to be exhaustive. Papers in the traditional areas of optical spectroscopy (absorption, MCD, luminescence, Raman scattering) are welcome. Papers on applications (phosphors, scintillators, electro- and cathodo-luminescence, radiography, bioimaging, solar energy, energy conversion, etc.) are also welcome if they present results of scientific, rather than only technological interest. However, papers containing purely theoretical results, not related to phenomena in the excited states, as well as papers using luminescence spectroscopy to perform routine analytical chemistry or biochemistry procedures, are outside the scope of the journal. Some exceptions will be possible at the discretion of the editors.