Spectral Regulation of Carbon Dots and the Realization of Single-Component Solar-Simulated White Light-Emitting Diodes

As a new emerging ecofriendly light-emitting material, carbon dots (CDs) have been a research hotspot in the past decade. However, the synthesis of new types of CDs and the realization of multicolor solid-state emission remains challenging. Herein, we successfully synthesized a new type of N,Cl-doped CDs. The structure, morphology, composition, and optical properties, were well studied. The emission peak of fluorescent CDs solution can be modulated in the range of 512 to 613 nm by varying the concentration of CDs and the solvent type. To obtain a better emission of solid-state CDs, the as-prepared CDs are loaded on silica gel particles. Surprisingly, the solid-state CDs@silica can realize multicolor emission in the region of 521 to 600 nm by adjusting the ratio of CDs and silica. In addition, the single-component solar-simulated white light-emitting diode (WLED) was fabricated by using the CDs@silica particles as phosphor. The high quality of electroluminescence (EL) demonstrated the great potential of the CDs in the next generation of applications.