A comprehensive model of nitrogen-free ordered carbon quantum dots

We propose and demonstrate a novel range of models to accurately determine the optical properties of nitrogen-free carbon quantum dots (CQDs) with ordered graphene layered structures. We confirm the results of our models against the full range of experimental results for CQDs available from an extensive review of the literature. The models can be equally applied to CQDs with varied sizes and with different oxygen contents in the basal planes of the constituent graphenic sheets. We demonstrate that the experimentally observed blue fluorescent emission of nitrogen-free CQDs can be associated with either small oxidised areas on the periphery of the graphenic sheets, or with sub-nanometre non-functionalised islands of sp(2)-hybridised carbon with high symmetry confined in the centres of oxidised graphene sheets. Larger and/or less symmetric non-functionalised regions in the centre of functionalised graphene sheet are found to be sources of green and even red fluorescent emission from nitrogen-free CQDs. We also demonstrate an approach to simplify the modelling of the discussed sp(2)-islands by substitution with equivalent strained polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Additionally, we show that the bandgaps (and photoluminescence) of CQDs are not dependent on either out-of-plane corrugation of the graphene sheet or the spacing between sp(2)-islands. Advantageously, our proposed models show that there is no need to involve light-emitting polycyclic aromatic molecules (nanographenes) with arbitrary structures grafted to the particle periphery to explain the plethora of optical phenomena observed for CQDs across the full range of experimental works.

Automated summary

We propose new models to accurately determine the optical properties of nitrogen-free carbon quantum dots (CQDs) with ordered graphene layered structures. These models are validated against experimental results for CQDs from literature review, and can be applied to CQDs with varied sizes and oxygen contents. The blue fluorescent emission of nitrogen-free CQDs is found to be associated with oxidised areas on the periphery of the graphene sheet or non-functionalised islands of carbon in the centres of oxidised graphene sheets. Additionally, larger and/or less symmetric non-functionalised regions contribute to green and red fluorescent emission. The models also show that the bandgaps and photoluminescence of CQDs are not affected by out-of-plane corrugation or spacing between islands.