The Enhanced Photoluminescence Properties of Carbon Dots Derived from Glucose: The Effect of Natural Oxidation

The investigation of the fluorescence mechanism of carbon dots (CDs) has attracted significant attention, particularly the role of the oxygen-containing groups. Dual-CDs exhibiting blue and green emissions are synthesized from glucose via a simple ultrasonic treatment, and the oxidation degree of the CDs is softly modified through a slow natural oxidation approach, which is in stark contrast to that aggressively altering CDs’ surface configurations through chemical oxidation methods. It is interesting to find that the intensity of the blue fluorescence gradually increases, eventually becoming the dominant emission after prolonging the oxidation periods, with the quantum yield (QY) of the CDs being enhanced from ~0.61% to ~4.26%. Combining the microstructure characterizations, optical measurements, and ultrafiltration experiments, we hypothesize that the blue emission could be ascribed to the surface states induced by the C–O and C=O groups, while the green luminescence may originate from the deep energy levels associated with the O–C=O groups. The distinct emission states and energy distributions could result in the blue and the green luminescence exhibiting distinct excitation and emission behaviors. Our findings could provide new insights into the fluorescence mechanism of CDs.