Carboxymethylcellulose hydrogels with stable carbon quantum dots: Enabling dynamic fluorescence modulation, automatic erasure, and secure information encryption
Qiu‐Yan Luo, Hao Liu, Dongxu Li, Juguo Dai, Long Xia, Jia‐Xing Jiang, Yiting Xu, Birong Zeng, Weiang Luo, Lizong Dai
Abstract
Inspired by "disappear after reading", a time-modulated encryption hydrogel was synthesized by carboxymethyl cellulose with carbon quantum dots. Carboxymethyl cellulose in this system stabilized carbon quantum dots, which ensured the whole hydrogel worked well. The encryption/decryption of information depended on pH adjustment, application of EDTA and Cr (VI). Furthermore, an in-depth analysis of the fluorescence change mechanism uncovered that fluorescence quenching was potentially influenced by internal filtering effects and static quenching, which involved the amino, carboxyl, and hydroxyl groups present within the hydrogel.