Abstract The surface functionalization of carbon dots (CDs) can introduce an additional dimension for the control of their photoluminescence properties and effective promotion of the applications of CDs such as imaging, sensing, etc. In this study, a simple one-step carbonization using Tween 80 as the sole carbon source is described for directly synthesizing white-emitting CDs (WCDs) in high yield. The results revealed the presence of several long alkyl chains on the surface of the as-fabricated WCDs, which effectively suppress the aggregation-caused quenching (ACQ) effect and emit bright white luminescence under an UV illumination of 365 nm in the solution and solid states. Besides, together with the surface protection of long alkyl chains, WCDs preferentially interact with lipophilic fatty residues and are beneficial for the label-free imaging of latent fingerprints. This study provides a promising new method to not only effectively inhibit the intrinsic ACQ effect of CDs but also develop the surface engineering of functionalized white-emitting CDs for practical applications via facile synthesis.

中文翻译：

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具有长烷基链结构的白色发光碳点：有效抑制聚集引起的猝灭效应，用于潜指纹的无标记成像

摘要 碳点 (CDs) 的表面功能化可以为控制其光致发光性能和有效促进 CDs 的成像、传感等应用引入一个额外的维度。 80 作为唯一的碳源被描述为以高产率直接合成发白光的 CD（WCD）。结果表明，所制备的 WCD 表面存在几个长烷基链，可有效抑制聚集引起的猝灭 (ACQ) 效应，并在 365 nm 紫外光照射下在溶液和固态下发出明亮的白色发光. 此外，加上长烷基链的表面保护，WCDs 优先与亲脂性脂肪残基相互作用，有利于潜指纹的无标记成像。这项研究提供了一种有前途的新方法，不仅可以有效抑制 CD 的内在 ACQ 效应，而且还可以通过简单的合成开发功能化白光 CD 的表面工程，用于实际应用。