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The shift from depleting petroleum compounds to regenerating biomass as the raw material for organic semiconductors is a prerequisite if organic electronics is to become truly sustainable. Here, we report on a one-pot solvothermal synthesis of a biomass-based carbon dot (bio-CD) fluorescent semiconductor, using birch leaves as the sole raw material. These bio-CDs are highly soluble in ethanol (45 g L^-1), and deliver deep-red and narrowband emission (peak wavelength = 675 nm, full width at half maximum, FWHM = 28 nm) at a high photoluminescence quantum yield of 26% in ethanol solution. Systematic structural characterization shows that molecular pheophytin a is the single fluorophore, and that this fluorophore is localized in the bulk of the bio-CD away from its polar surface. The functionality of the birch-leaf-derived bio-CDs in sustainable organic electronics is demonstrated by its employment as the printable emitter in a light-emitting electrochemical cell, which delivers narrowband deep-red luminance of 110 cd m^-2, with a FWHM of 29 nm, at an external quantum efficiency of 0.29%. This study thus reveals a promising avenue for the functional benign synthesis and the practical solution-based implementation of narrowband bio-CDs in sustainable optoelectronic technologies.

Sulfur quantum dots (SQDs), as a novel metal-free fluorescent material, are getting increasingly tremendous attention in metal ion detection, especially for Fe3+, due to the merits of antimicrobial potential, low toxicity, and exciting optoelectronic properties. However, sensing mechanism of SQD based fluorescent probe for Fe3+ is not clear yet, and high sensitivity and large detection range remain a challenge. Here, we report the synthesis of hydrophilic SQDs as a fluorescent nanoprobe for Fe3+ via a fluorescent turn-off mode. We systematically studied the quenching mechanism by ultraviolet–visible absorption spectra, steady-state and time-resolved photoluminescent spectra, and temperature-dependent quenching constants. Results unclearly evidenced the quenching behavior to both inner filter effect and static quenching. Furthermore, the nanoprobe presents a large detection range from 2.5 to 700 μM and a limit of detection low to 53.6 nM, both of which are the record performance to our knowledge. At last, it shows high selectivity toward Fe3+ and presents no ionic strength effect in the range of investigation, which enables surprising results for Fe3+ detection in deionized water with interference ion and real water samples.

Perovskite quantum dots (PeQDs) endowed with capping ligands exhibit impressive optoelectronic properties and enable for cost-efficient solution processing and exciting application opportunities. We synthesize and characterize three different PeQDs with the same cubic CsPbBr₃ core, but which are distinguished by the ligand composition and density. PeQD-1 features a binary didodecyldimethylammonium bromide (DDAB) and octanoic acid capping ligand system, with a high surface density of 1.53 nm⁻², whereas PeQD-2 and PeQD-3 are coated by solely DDAB at a gradually lower surface density. We show that PeQD-1 endowed with highest ligand density features the highest dispersibility in toluene of 150 g/L, the highest photoluminescence quantum yield of 95% in dilute solution and 59% in a neat film, and the largest core-to-core spacing in neat thin films. We further establish that ions are released from the core of PeQD-1 when it is exposed to an electric field, although it comprises a dense coating of one capping ligand per four surface core atoms. We finally exploit these combined findings to the development of a light-emitting electrochemical cell (LEC), where the active layer is composed solely of solution-processed pure PeQDs, without additional electrolytes. In this device, the ion release is utilized as an advantage for the electrochemical doping process and efficient emissive operation of the LEC.

Excessive Cd²⁺ poses adverse influences on ecosystem and human beings, but its precise detection via a facile and environment-friendly method with resistance to interference is still a challenge. Here, a turn-on ratiometric fluorescent nanoprobe for Cd²⁺ detection is established using yellow-emission AgInZnS quantum dots (AIZS QDs) and blue-emission nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots (NGQDs), which serve as a recognition unit and internal reference signal, respectively. Cd²⁺ could enhance the fluorescence of AIZS QDs due to the passivation of surface defects, while it has no significant effect on that of NGQDs. This nanoprobe has a large detection range from 0.5 to 100 µM and a limit of detection low to 28.6 nM. It shows strong anti-interference ability for Cd²⁺ even in lake water samples with recovery from 98 to 101% and low relative standard deviation of 1.01%, indicating its excellent effectuation to real-application world.

Light-emitting electrochemical cells (LECs) can be fabricated with cost-efficient printing and coating methods, but a current drawback is that the LEC emitter is commonly either a rare-metal complex or an expensive-to-synthesize conjugated polymer. Here, we address this issue through the pioneering employment of metal-free and facile-to-synthesize carbon nanodots (CNDs) as the emitter in functional LEC devices. Circular-shaped (average diameter = 4.4 nm) and hydrophilic CNDs, which exhibit narrow cyan photoluminescence (peak = 485 nm, full width at half maximum = 30 nm) with a high quantum yield of 77% in dilute ethanol solution, were synthesized with a catalyst-free, one-step solvothermal process using low-cost and benign phloroglucinol as the sole starting material. The propensity of the planar CNDs to form emission-quenching aggregates in the solid state was inhibited by the inclusion of a compatible 2,7-bis(diphenylphosphoryl)-9,9′-spirobifluorene host compound, and we demonstrate that such pristine host-guest CND-LECs turn on to a peak luminance of 118 cd·m⁻² within 5 s during constant current-density driving at 77 mA·cm⁻².

Light-emitting electrochemical cells (LECs) comprising metal-free molecules that emit by the process of thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) can be both sustainable and low cost. However, the blue emission performance of current TADF-LECs is unfortunately poor, which effectively prohibits their utilization in important applications, such as illumination and full-color displays. Here, this drawback is addressed through the development of a TADF-LEC, which delivers blue light emission (peak wavelength = 475 nm) with a high external quantum efficiency of 5.0%, corresponding to a current efficacy of 9.6 cd A^-1. It is notable that this high efficiency is attained at bright luminance of 740 cd m^-2, and that the device turn-on is very fast. It is demonstrated that this accomplishment is enabled by the blending of a carbazole-based 9-(4-(4,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl)-2-methylphenyl)-3,6-dimethyl-9H-carbazole guest emitter with a compatible carbazole-based tris(4-carbazoyl-9-ylphenyl)amine:2,6-bis(3-(carbazol-9-yl)phenyl)pyridine blend-host for the attainment of bipolar electrochemical doping, balanced electron/hole transport, and exciplex-effectuated host-to-guest energy transfer.

We report on the synthesis of CsPbBr3 perovskite quantum dots (PeQDs) with a high solubility of 75 g/L in toluene and a good film-forming property, as enabled by a dense layer of didodecyldimethylammonium bromide and octanoic acid surface ligands. The crystalline and monodisperse PeQDs feature a cubic-like shape, with an edge length of 10.1 nm, and a high photoluminescence quantum yield of greater than 90% in toluene solution and 36% as a thin film. We find that the PeQDs are n-type doped following the synthesis but also that they can be p-type and additionally n-type doped by in situ electrochemistry. These combined properties render the PeQDs interesting for the emitter in solution-processed light-emitting electrochemical cells (LECs), and we report a PeQD-LEC with air-stabile electrodes that emits with a narrow emission spectrum (λpeak = 514 nm, full width at half-maximum = 24 nm) and a luminance of 250 cd/m2 at 4 V and a luminance of 1090 cd/m2 at 6.8 V. To reach this performance, it was critical to include a thin solution-processed layer comprising p-type poly(vinyl carbazole) and a tetrahexylammonium tetrafluoroborate ionic liquid between the PeQD emission layer and the anode in order to compensate for the as-synthesized n-type doping of the PeQDs.

Quantum dots (QDs) are intensively studied and developed for the detection of toxic heavy metal ions, notably Cd²⁺. However, a severe drawback is that the probing QDs themselves often are based on highly toxic elements, such as Pb or Cd. Here, we report on a one-step aqueous synthesis of more benign and hydrophilic AgInZnS QDs using 3-mercaptopropionic acid as a ligand with a high photoluminescence quantum yield of up to 41%, which were successfully employed as a fluorescent probe with a turn-on mode for detection of Cd²⁺ in aqueous solutions. Specifically, we determine that the effective detection range of Cd²⁺ in aqueous solution is 0.1–290 μM, with the lower limit of detection being 37.8 nM. We further establish that the excellent turn-on detection of Cd²⁺ is due to that surface defects on the AgInZnS QDs are effectively passivated by the Cd²⁺, as verified by a prolonged fluorescent lifetime and an increased photoluminescence quantum yield. We finally demonstrate that the AgInZnS QD probe is capable of detecting Cd²⁺ in lake water samples, and that it meets the WHO standard.

As a promising energy-saving technique, the eco-friendly and low-cost solid-state white light-emitting diodes (WLEDs) based on quantum dots (QDs) have been widely studied. Herein, a WLED device prepared by core-shell structure nanocomposites based on Ag-In-S/ZnS@SiO2 quantum dots (AIS@SiO2) and carbon quantum dots (CDs) was successfully constructed. CDs were combined onto the surface of AIS@SiO2 QDs to synthesize Ag-In-S/ZnS@SiO2-Carbon quantum dots (AIS-CDs) nanocomposites with a white-light emission, which successfully overcome the quenching effect of CDs induced by conventional aggregation. The as-prepared AIS-CDs nanocomposites presented high stability and a photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of 35%. Moreover, the corresponding AIS-CDs nanocomposites-based WLEDs demonstrated the color coordinate of (0.32, 0.33), which is comparable to the pure white light (0.33, 0.33); furthermore, the luminous efficiency of the as-prepared WLEDs showed 15.1 lm W-1. These results reported herein may open up a new avenue for the development of high-performance, low-cost, and environmentally-friendly WLEDs.