Green Luminescence and Irradiance Properties of Carbon Dots Cross-linked with Polydimethylsiloxane

In the present report, we have synthesized carbon dots by using anthracite coal as a precursor. The purpose of this work is to address the sensitivity and surface coating ability of carbon dots with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) polymer. The photoluminescence study shows the shift in emission wavelength of carbon dots in water and polymer individually for different excitation wavelengths (320-480 nm). The shifted peaks have higher intensities for higher excitation wavelengths, which are desirable for real world optical applications. This study gives a simple and novel approach to tune the fluorescence spectrum over the entire UV region just by varying the concentration of carbon dots in the polymer base. Detailed characterization revealed that the increase in the intensity of emission peaks can be obtained by using a polymer base system and changing the concentration of carbon dots. This new approach significantly opens a new window for multiapproach sensing methods. The irradiance studies of carbon dots with PDMS resulted in a decrease in absorption. This explains the photodegradation and photophysical properties of the material. The wettability property of the sample by using contact angle studies reveals its significance in coating industries such as nanoengineering, adhesives, casting, and injection molding.