Dual emissive carbon dots with one-pot synthesized and their tunable luminescence

In this study, a dual photoluminescence (PL) carbon quantum dots (CQDs) are obtained using two common raw materials, phenylenediamines and phosphorus acid, with a one-step hydrothermal method . The three typical CQDs are obtained by using three phenylenediamine isomers as carbon source, which can emit a bright and stable turquoise, green and yellow light under a single ultraviolet-light excitation, respectively. In addition, the effect of reaction temperature and ambient pH on the performance of CQDs is systematically researched in the hydrothermal process. The results show that tunable optical properties of CQDs can be achieved by changing the reaction temperature, carbon sources and the surrounding pH value.