White Light-Emitting Diodes Based on Individual Polymerized Carbon Nanodots

A search for new phosphor materials that exhibit high light-emission, spectral purity, long-time stability and processability capture particular attention to modern solid-state lighting. Here, polymerizable silane pre-functionalized carbon dot (SiCD) fluids were dripped and co-polymerized or completely bulk polymerized to build color conversion and encapsulation coatings of commercially available GaN blue LEDs. Most parameters of SiCD-based white LEDs were similar to or even better than those of phosphor-based white LEDs, particularly the insensitivity to excitation wavelength and working current. Thus, SiCDs were superior to those phosphors in terms of broadband properties, high transparency (no light blocking and leaking), as well as arbitrary doping of its content as color conversion and encapsulation layers simultaneously, unique solubility, flexible chemical, optical and mechanical processability. Thus, designing new CD-based white LEDs, instead of inorganic rare earth phosphor-based LEDs, is possible for better performance solid state lighting devices.