Direct synthesis of highly stable nitrogen rich carbon dots toward white light emission

Here we report a single step, rapid synthetic strategy for white light emitting nitrogen rich carbon dots (NCDs) under a range of excitation wavelengths by carbonizing ethylenediamine using P2O5 and water. The NCDs show unprecedented stability towards ultraviolet (UV) irradiation, extreme pH, and oxidative conditions, which is highly desired in light emitting diode (LED) applications.