Host-Guest Carbon Dots for Enhanced Optical Properties and Beyond

Carbon dots, generally small carbon nanoparticles with various forms of surface passivation, have achieved the performance level of semiconductor quantum dots in the green spectral region, but their absorption and fluorescence in red/near-IR are relatively weaker. Conceptually similar to endofullerenes, host-guest carbon dots were designed and prepared with red/near-IR dyes encapsulated as guest in the carbon nanoparticle core. Beyond the desired enhancement in optical properties, the host-guest configuration may significantly broaden the field of carbon dots.