Solvatochromic Behavior of Solid-State Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Nanoparticles: Initial Study

Abstract Carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) have garnered significant attention among researchers due to their cost-effectiveness and tunable properties, rendering them applicable in a wide array of fields, including biomedicine, optoelectronics, catalysis, and sensing. The solvatochromic effect denotes the phenomenon of a compound exhibiting a color change or a shift in its photoluminescence spectrum. In this study, we investigated the solvatochromic behavior of CNPs doped Nitrogen synthesized through the solid-state route using citric acid and urea, dissolved in solvents with varying polarity indices. Significant differences in emission were analyzed using a photoluminescence (PL) spectrometer. The results exhibit the emission shifting towards longer wavelengths (red region) as the solvent’s polarity index increased. This study of solvatochromic behavior in CNPs holds substantial significance for further research into their application as sensors.