Solid-State Phosphors from Coal-Derived Carbon Quantum Dots.

With unique optical and chemical properties, carbon quantum dots (CQDs) find tremendous applications in chemistry, biology, and materials science to medicine. To expand the applicability of coal-derived CQDs from the liquid to solid state, we herein report the sustainable synthesis of solid phosphors from coal-derived CQDs using poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and silica (SiO) as an organic and inorganic matrix. Two coal-derived CQDs were obtained using an eco-friendly ultrasonic-assisted wet oxidation method.