Impact of Organic Precursors on the Optoelectronic Properties of As-Synthesized Carbon Dots

Carbon dots (CDs), versatile carbon-based luminescent nanomaterials, offer environmental friendliness, cost-effectiveness, and tunable optical properties for diverse optoelectronic applications, including light-emitting diodes, photodetectors, and flexible electronics. These nanoscale materials exhibit unique optical behaviors like highly tunable photoluminescence and efficient multiphoton up-conversion. Herein, it explores how precursor selection influences CDs’ sp²/sp³ hybridization ratios and their optoelectronic properties. CDs are synthesized from four distinct sources: polymeric polyvinylpyrrolidone, protein, biomass, and citric acid. Biomass- and protein-derived CDs display remarkable photocurrent enhancements under blue light, attributed to balanced sp²/sp³ ratios, while polymer-derived CDs show limited optoelectronic response. These findings reveal the critical role of precursor composition in tailoring the structural and electronic properties of CDs, offering sustainable pathways for their application in advanced optoelectronic devices.