Carrier recombination spatial transfer by reduced potential barrier causes blue/red switchable luminescence in C8 carbon quantum dots/organic hybrid light-emitting devices

The underlying mechanism behind the blue/red color-switchable luminescence in the C8 carbon quantum dots (CQDs)/organic hybrid light-emitting devices (LEDs) is investigated. The study shows that the increasing bias alters the energy-level spatial distribution and reduces the carrier potential barrier at the CQDs/organic layer interface, resulting in transition of the carrier transport mechanism from quantum tunneling to direct injection. This causes spatial shift of carrier recombination from the organic layer to the CQDs layer with resultant transition of electroluminescence from blue to red. By contrast, the pure CQDs-based LED exhibits green–red electroluminescence stemming from recombination of injected carriers in the CQDs.