Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) have potential applications
in many
fields such as light-emitting devices, photocatalysis, and bioimaging
due to their unique photoluminescence (PL) properties and environmental
benignness. Here, we report the synthesis of nitrogen-doped carbon
quantum dots (NCQDs) from citric acid and
m
-phenylenediamine
using a one-pot hydrothermal approach. The environment-dependent emission
changes of NCQDs were extensively investigated in various solvents,
in the solid state, and in physically assembled PMMA–PnBA–PMMA
copolymer gels in 2-ethyl-hexanol. NCQDs display bright emissions
in various solvents as well as in the solid state. These NCQDs exhibit
multicolor PL emission across the visible region upon changing the
environment (solutions and polymer matrices). NCQDs also exhibit excitation-dependent
PL and solvatochromism, which have not been frequently investigated
in CQDs. Most CQDs are nonemissive in the aggregated or solid state
due to the aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ) effect, limiting their
solid-state applications. However, NCQDs synthesized here display
a strong solid-state emission centered at 568 nm attributed to the
presence of surface functional groups that restrict the π–π
interaction between the NCQDs and assist in overcoming the ACQ effect
in the solid state. NCQD-containing gels display significant fluorescence
enhancement in comparison to the NCQDs in 2-ethyl hexanol, likely
because of the interaction between the polar PMMA blocks and NCQDs.
The application of NCQDs-Gel as a solid/gel state fluorescent display
has been presented. This research facilitates the development of large-scale,
low-cost multicolor phosphor for the fabrication of optoelectronic
devices, sensing, and bioimaging applications.