Here, based on self-assembly of carbon quantum dots (CDs), an innovative method to prepare nanomaterials under the action of a metal catalyst was presented. CDs were synthesized by a one-step hydrothermal method with citric acid (CA) as the carbon source, ethylenediamine (EDA) as the passivator and FeSO4•7H2O as the pre-catalyst. In the experiment, it was found that the nano-carbon films with a graphene-like structure were formed on the surface of the solution. The structure of the films was studied by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), etc. The results demonstrated that the films were formed by the self-assembly of CDs under the action of the gas-liquid interface template and the metal catalyst. Meanwhile, the electrochemical performance of the films was evaluated by linear cyclic voltammetry (CV) and galvanostatic charge discharge (GOD) tests. In addition, the bulk solution could be further reacted and self-assembled by reflux to form a bifunctional magnetic-fluorescent composite material. Characterizations such as X-ray diffractometer (XRD), fluorescence spectra (FL), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), etc. revealed that it was a composite of superparamagnetic γ-Fe2O3 and CDs. The results showed that self-assembly of CDs is a novel and effective method for preparing new carbon nanomaterials.
Keywords: bifunctional magnetic-fluorescent composite; carbon quantum dots; electrochemistry; graphene-like nano-carbon films; self-assembly.