Construction of a solid-state fluorescent switching with carbon dots and diarylethene

A novel photo-controlled solid-state fluorescence switching based on carbon dots (CDs) and diarylethene was designed and constructed. It was characterized by TEM, XRD, XPS, and FT-IR. The polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) was used to disperse the CDs and prevent its fluorescence quenching due to aggregation. The fluorescence switching not only had excellent modulation efficiency, but also exhibited good photochromic properties. Upon irradiation with UV light, the fluorescence modulation efficiency was determined to be 96.3%. The mechanism of the reversible fluorescence modulation was attributed to the FRET between the CDs (energy donor) and the closed-ring diarylethene (energy acceptor). This work suggests the strategy of constructing solid-state fluorescence switching is feasible, and will provide new ways for the potential application of CDs and diarylethene.