Abstract
The solid-state hard encapsulation of carbon dots (CDs) can introduce an additional dimension for the tuning of their optical properties and effective promotion of multifunctional applications as well. In this study, simple hydrothermal and soft-sintering processes have been demonstrated to obtain silicon oxynitride-encapsulated N-doped carbon dots (SiON@NCDs) as well as organosilane-functionalized NCDs (OSi-NCDs). The surface-decorating long alkyl chains on NCDs help to prevent luminescence quenching in solid state and emit blue to orange color while forming a smooth film coating on the substrate. Interestingly, these OSi-NCDs can be readily converted into SiON-encapsulated NCDs (SiON@NCDs) and form a smooth, hard, and visible light transparent coating on a glass surface after soft sintering. This hard coating has the ability to emit white light and 100% block all types of toxic UV light (UV-A, B, and …
