• Skip navigation
  • Skip to navigation
  • Skip to the bottom
Simulate organization breadcrumb open Simulate organization breadcrumb close
Institute of Particle Technology
  • FAUTo the central FAU website
  1. Friedrich-Alexander-Universität
  2. Faculty of Engineering
  3. Department Chemical and Biological Engineering
  • CBI
  1. Friedrich-Alexander-Universität
  2. Faculty of Engineering
  3. Department Chemical and Biological Engineering

Institute of Particle Technology

Navigation Navigation close
  • Institute
    • Head of Institute
    • People
    • Open Positions
    Institute
  • Research
    • Research Groups
    • Collaborations and Research Networks
    • Publications
    • Facilities
    • Institute Seminar
    Research
  • Teaching
    • Thesis Offers (B.Sc., M.Sc. and MAP miniproject)
    Teaching
  • News
  • Contact
  1. Home
  2. Research
  3. Research Groups
  4. Interface Engineering and Particle Technology (Peukert Group)
  5. Characterization of Carbon Dots

Characterization of Carbon Dots

In page navigation: Research
  • Research Groups
    • Interface Engineering and Particle Technology (Peukert Group)
      • Additive Manufacturing
        • Liquid Phase Production of Functional Polymer Particles (CRC 814 Project A1)
        • Modification and Functionalization of Powders in Gas Phase (SFB 814 Project A2)
        • Quality assurance system for powders used in selective laser beam melting of polymers (SFB 814 Transfer Project T1)
      • Advanced Colloid Characterization
        • Multidimensional analysis of nanoparticulate structures using analytical ultracentrifugation with integrated multiwavelength detection
        • Development of multidimensional analysis of particulate systems using analytical centrifugation
        • Multiwavelength emission characterization of nanoparticles by means of a novel analytical ultracentrifuge
      • Characterization of Carbon Dots
      • Comminution
      • Surfaces and Interfaces
        • Proteins at Interfaces
        • Emulsions
        • Surface Functionalization, Degradation, and Corrosion
      • Synthesis, Surface Modification and In Situ Analysis
        • In situ monitoring of particle formation
    • Nanostructured Particles (Klupp Taylor Group)
    • Self-Assembled Materials (Vogel Group)
    • Solids Processing (Bück Group)
  • Collaborations and Research Networks
    • Completed Collaborative and Network Projects
  • Publications
    • Books
    • Doctoral Dissertations
  • Facilities
  • Institute Seminar

Characterization of Carbon Dots

Contact:

Michaud, Vanessa (M.Sc.)

Short description:

Characterization of Carbon Dots

Within SFB953 ‘Synthetic carbon allotropes’, we focus on the synthesis and characterization of carbon dots (CDs), a new class of highly fluorescent carbogenic nanoparticles < 10 nm in size, which possess unique optical properties and low toxicity.

In our project, hydrothermal bottom-up synthesis is used to produce highly-fluorescent aqueous CDs from citric acid and an amino-precursor. We found that the main fluorescence of these CDs originates from effective molecular fluorophores, which were identified to be a typical pyridone structure.1 Furthermore, we found that oxygen radicals, which irreversibly damage the molecular fluorophores, are responsible for the photobleaching effect, by exposing CDs from citric acid and urea to UV light.2 By replacing urea with cysteine, it was possible to enormously enhance the photostability of the CD solution and to increase the QY up 70%.3 Hydrothermal synthesis yields a mixture of several CD-subspecies, including carbon particles (carbon cores) and molecular fluorophore species.2-3 Therefore, it is extremely important to find an appropriate purification method in order to characterize the structure and fluorescence mechanism of CDs and produce a pure product for further applications.

Figure 1: Isocratic chromatographic separation of the CD solution with the corresponding 3D photoluminescence spectra
Figure 1: Isocratic chromatographic separation of the CD solution with the corresponding 3D photoluminescence spectra

Chromatographic isocratic separation with a simple chromatography column and a H2O:Acetonitrile volumetric ratio 1:1 was used and the CD solution could be separated into three fractions: 1. the carbon core, 2. the carbon core with fluorophores and 3. pure fluorophores (Fig. 1). We also found out, that the exact composition depends enormously on the synthesis conditions and that carbon cores can only be produced for temperatures over 200°C.3 By using HPLC, the expected fractions could be found and identified. At the moment, we are working on a gradient separation process which enables improved separation efficiency and the isolation of more sub-species. Future work will involve fractionation of the CD solution with a new preparative HPLC process followed by the characterization of selected species with Electrospray-Differential Mobility Analysis-Mass Spectrometry and Multi Wavelength Analytical Ultracentrifugation (MWAUC).

Publications:

  1. W.Wang, B. Wang, H. Embrechts, C. Damm, A. Cadranel, V. Strauss, M. Distaso, V. Hinterberger, D. M. Guldi W. Peukert et al., RSC Adv., 2017, 7, 24771-24780.
  2. W. Wang, C. Damm, W. Walter, T. J. Nacken, W. Peukert et al., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2016, 18, 466-475.
  3.  V. Hinterberger, C. Damm, P. Haines, M. Sattes, D. Guldi, W. Peukert, Nanoscale, 2019, 11, 8464.
Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
Lehrstuhl für Feststoff- und Grenzflächenverfahrenstechnik

Cauerstr. 4
91058 Erlangen
Germany
  • Imprint
  • Privacy
  • Accessibility
Up