Kristin Lewotsky reports that a simple solution-based method extracts photoluminescent carbon dots from coal with up to 25% yield. When you think of coal, you probably think of energy and steel manufacturing, of heat and electricity. You probably do not look at the inky black lumps and think of photoluminescence. And yet a Rice University team led by chemist James Tour did just that, grinding up coal and processing the material to isolate nanoscale crystalline structures (made up of sheets of carbon called graphene) that fluoresce at yellow, green, and blue wavelengths. Whether the particles are quantum dots or merely emissive carbon dots may need further investigation. One thing is certain, though, produced using coal, a substance cheaper than water, the dots promise to support a wide array of practical applications ranging from road signs and fluorescent clothing to biological markers in medical research.
Original working URL: http://spie.org/newsroom/03-14-carbon-dots?SSO=1
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