An approach to controlling the fluorescence of graphene quantum dots: From surface oxidation to fluorescent mechanism

We report a facile method of synthesizing graphene quantum dots (GQDs) with tunable emission. The as-prepared GQDs each with a uniform lateral dimension of ca. 6 nm have fine solubility and high stability. The photoluminescence mechanism is further investigated based on the surfacestructure and the photoluminescence behaviors. Based on our discussion, the green fluorescence emission can be attributed to the oxygen functional groups, which could possess broad emission bands within the π–π^* gap. This work is helpful to explain the vague fluorescent mechanism of GQDs, and the reported synthetic method is useful to prepare GQDs with controllable fluorescent colors.