Fluorescent Carbon Quantum Dots as Single Light Converter for White LEDs

Synthesis of fluorescent carbon quantum dots (CQDs) as single light converter and their application in white light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are reported. CQDs were prepared by a one-step hydrothermal method using glucose and polyethylene glycol 200 as precursors. The structural and optical properties of the CQDs were investigated. The CQDs with uniform size of 4 nm possessed typical excitation-dependent emission wavelength and quantum yield of 3.5%. Under ultraviolet illumination, the CQDs in deionized water emitted bright blue fluorescence and produced broad visible-light emission with high red, green, and blue spectral component ratio of 63.5% (red-to-blue intensity to total intensity), suggesting great potential as single light converter for white LEDs. To demonstrate their potential, a white LED using CQDs as a single light converter was built. The device exhibited cool white light with corresponding color temperature of 5584 K and color coordinates of (0.32, 0.37), belonging to the white gamut. This research suggests that CQDs could be a promising candidate single light converter for white LEDs.