Seeking brightness from nature: Sustainable carbon dots-based AIEgens with tunable emission wavelength from natural rosin

Min, Gao; Han, Youqi; Ni, Jiaxin; Li, Yudong; Han, Shiyan; Li, Shujun; Yu, Haipeng; Zhang, Chunlei; Liu, Shouxin; Li, Jian; Chen, Zhijun

doi:10.1016/j.cej.2020.127457

Cited by 40 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 51 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…[4] Unlike traditional dyes, the fluorescence emission of AIEgens intensifies when they become aggregated and, which corresponds to the (102) crystallographic face of graphite carbon (Figure 1a, inset) and suggests that the carbon in the M-CD-AIEgens is partially graphitized. [8] X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) showed that the M-CD-AIEgens consist of elemental C (≈81%), N (≈9%), and O (≈10%) (Figure 1c). Three peaks in the high-resolution C1s spectrum, at 284.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[10] Signals at 397.7, 399.1, and 400.0 eV in the high-resolution N1s spectrum suggest that the M-CD-AIEgens contain pyridinic N, NH, and pyrrolic N atoms, respectively (pyrrolic and pyridinic nitrogen atoms are within the graphite structure) (Figure 1f). [8,11] The chemical structure of the M-CD-AIEgens was further investigated using 1 H NMR spectroscopy. The 1 H NMR spectrum showed that M-CD-AIEgens contain C(H)N groups (9.04 ppm) and aromatic H atoms (7.0-7.7 ppm) (Figure S1, Supporting Information).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Sensitive Mechanofluorochromic Carbon Dot‐Based AIEgens: Promising Reporting Components for Self‐Sensing Plastics

Min

Han

et al. 2021

Advanced Optical Materials

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

thus far, organic small molecules, metalorganic frameworks, metal complex, and carbon dot-based AIEgens have all shown interesting mechanofluorochromic responses. [1b,5] Mechanofluorochromic AIEgens based on carbon dots, a type of luminescent nanoparticle with an average size below 10 nm, are especially attractive since they have good photostability and can be easily prepared. [6] Currently available mechanofluorochromic carbon dotbased AIEgens (M-CD-AIEgens), however, have limitations that reduce their practical applications. Most M-CD-AIEgens only show mechanofluorochromic responses at high pressures (gigapascals) and, in some cases, fluorescence emission is lost under such high pressures. [5b,7] To overcome these limitations, we have designed a new type of M-CD-AIEgens, which can be prepared using the solvothermal method (Scheme 1). As-prepared M-CD-AIEgens showed approximately ninefold enhancement of fluorescence after gentle grinding under ambient conditions, with a correspondingly increase in photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) from 2.02% to 10.08%. The mechanofluorochromic response of the M-CD-AIEgens was attributed to changes in crystallinity. Before grinding, the M-CD-AIEgens were highly crystalline and aggregated CDs within the M-CD-AIEgens had strong π-π interactions, leading to quenching of fluorescence. After breaking down the crystals by gentle grinding under ambient conditions, π-π stacking between the CDs was disrupted, leading to enhanced fluorescence. To illustrate potential applications of their interesting properties, M-CD-AIEgens were incorporated into a poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) matrix to obtain sustainable self-sensing plastics. M-CD-AIEgens/PCL plastics showed weak fluorescence in the absence of external mechanical stimuli but the fluorescence was markedly increased when the plastic was stretched or placed under strain. The mechanofluorochromic response of M-CD-AIEgens/PCL can thus be used to dynamically sense external pressure distribution when the plastic is placed under stress. Results and Discussion Structural Characterization of M-CD-AIEgensTransmission electron microscopy (TEM) images showed that most of the M-CD-AIEgens have an average diameter of ≈1.7 nm (Figure 1a,b), with a crystal distance of 0.18 nm, Mechanofluorochromic carbon dot-based aggregation-induced emission luminogens (M-CD-AIEgens) are attracting much attention because of their many potential practical applications. However, the mechanofluorochromic response of current M-CD-AIEgens only occurs under high pressure, which greatly hinders their practical applications. To overcome this shortcoming, more pressure-sensitive M-CD-AIEgens are now developed, which show approximately fivefold enhancement of photoluminescence quantum yield after grinding. This enhancement of photoluminescence is attributed to the weakening of π-π stacking interactions between the carbon dots, which is caused by the grinding process. To illustrate a potential application of their interesting properties, M-CD-AIEgens are incorporated into...

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sensitive Mechanofluorochromic Carbon Dot‐Based AIEgens: Promising Reporting Components for Self‐Sensing Plastics

Min

Han

et al. 2021

Advanced Optical Materials

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Biomass resources have gradually become one of the main sources of photoluminescent chemicals because they are abundant, inexpensive, easy availability and have good sustainability (Ge et al, 2021a;Cai et al, 2021;Wareing et al, 2021;Yu et al, 2021). Photoluminescent materials derived from biomass resources include fluorescent organic molecules (He et al, 2018;Han et al, 2020) and carbon dots (Ge et al, 2021b;Ge et al, 2021c;Li et al, 2021b;Tan et al, 2021); the latter have been widely studied because they are non-toxic, have good biocompatibility and optical tunability and also demonstrate strong photoluminescence (Su et al, 2020;Wang et al, 2021a;Zhang et al, 2021b). Carbon dots are discrete quasi-spherical nanoparticles, with particle sizes of less than 10 nm , the surfaces of which can be decorated with various functional groups, such as −NH2, −C=O, −OH and −COOH (Du et al, 2019b;.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

One-step Synthesis of Biomass-Based Carbon Dots for Detection of Metal Ions and Cell Imaging

et al. 2022

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Biomass-based carbon dots (Bio-CDs) were prepared from dehydroabietic acid using a one-step hydrothermal process. Characterization by TEM, XPS and FTIR spectroscopy showed that the Bio-CDs are spherical nanoparticles containing mainly C, N and O elements, with functional groups such as amino and carbonyl groups on their surface. The optical properties of the Bio-CDs were studied in detail. A solution of Bio-CDs exhibited excitation-dependent blue fluorescence emission. The solution showed excellent photostability under ultraviolet light and the fluorescence intensity could be enhanced by decreasing the temperature. The intensity of fluorescence emission of the solution was essentially unchanged over the pH range 3.91–8.69, and in the presence of different anions and cations, other than Fe3+ and Pb2+. Fe3+ and Pb2+ ions, respectively, quenched and enhanced the intensity of the fluorescence emission of the solution, allowing sensitive and selective detection of Fe3+ (LOD = 2.33 μM, Em = 437 nm) and of Pb2+ (LOD = 0.27 μM, Em = 437 nm and LOD = 0.33 μM, Em = 500 nm). As a further demonstration of potential applications, the Bio-CDs were shown to have low cytotoxicity and to stain cell nuclei as effectively as the commonly used nuclear stain 4′,6-diamino-2-phenylindole (DAPI), demonstrating their promise in the field of cell imaging.

show abstract

“…22 Hence, AIEgens from natural resources have recently gained researchers' intense attention ( Figure S1). [23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32] To date, some natural product-based AIEgens including natural polymers (sodium alginate and bovine serum albumin) and small molecules (quercetin, myricetin, and berberine chloride) have been investigated with unique advantages in bioapplications. Due to their advantageous biocompatibility, imaging can be applied either in vitro or in vivo.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

BioAIEgens Derived from Rosin: How Does Molecular Motion Affect Their Photophysical Processes in Solid State?

Cai¹,

Lin²,

Liu³

et al. 2021

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

<p>The exploration of artificial luminogens with bright emission has been fully developed with the advancement of synthetic chemistry. However, many of them face problems like weakened emission in the aggregated state as well as poor renewability and sustainability. Therefore, the development of renewable and sustainable luminogens with anti-quenching function in the solid state, as well as to unveil the key factors that influence their luminescence behavior become highly significant. Herein, a new class of natural rosin-derived luminogens with aggregation-induced emission property (AIEgens) have been facilely obtained with good biocompatibility and targeted organelle imaging capability as well as photochromic behavior in the solid state. Mechanistic study indicates that the introduction of the alicyclic moiety helps suppress the excited-state molecular motion to enhance the solid-state emission. The current work fundamentally elucidates the role of alicyclic moiety in luminogen design and practically demonstrates a new source to large-scalely obtain biocompatible AIEgens.</p>

show abstract

Seeking brightness from nature: Sustainable carbon dots-based AIEgens with tunable emission wavelength from natural rosin

Cited by 40 publications

References 51 publications

Sensitive Mechanofluorochromic Carbon Dot‐Based AIEgens: Promising Reporting Components for Self‐Sensing Plastics

Sensitive Mechanofluorochromic Carbon Dot‐Based AIEgens: Promising Reporting Components for Self‐Sensing Plastics

One-step Synthesis of Biomass-Based Carbon Dots for Detection of Metal Ions and Cell Imaging

BioAIEgens Derived from Rosin: How Does Molecular Motion Affect Their Photophysical Processes in Solid State?

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About