One-step solvothermal synthesis of full-color fluorescent carbon dots for information encryption and anti-counterfeiting applications

Abstract

Multicolor fluorescent carbon dots (CDs) have received extensive attention due to their excellent fluorescence tunable performance. In this study, multicolor CDs with color tunable and high fluorescence quantum yields (QYs) were successfully prepared under the same conditions by a one-step solvothermal method using 2-aminoterephthalic acid (ATA) and Nile Blue A (NBA) as reaction reagents, achieving a wide color field coverage. Detailed studies on the relevant mechanisms have been carried out for blue, green and red CDs, indicating that the regulating mechanism of multicolor luminescence is determined by the size of the sp² conjugated domains, which is due to the increase of particle size that causes an increase in the size of the sp² conjugated domains, resulting in the narrowing of the band gap and the red-shift of the emission wavelength. It was found that the CDs have the advantages of simple preparation, high photostability and high quantum yield. They were used as fluorescent ink and mixed with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to form CD/PVA composites, which were successfully applied in the field of information encryption and anti-counterfeiting. This work provides a new strategy for the synthesis of panchromatic tunable fluorescent CDs and their application in the field of information encryption and anti-counterfeiting.