Bright white light emitting diodes based on sustainable graphene quantum dots derived from Moringa oleifera leaves as photo-converter layer

F. S. Abd El‑kawy; S. Hammad; H. Talaat; G. Bacher; M. Ghali

doi:10.1007/s42823-025-00932-4

Bright white light emitting diodes based on sustainable graphene quantum dots derived from Moringa oleifera leaves as photo-converter layer

Carbon Letters
Abbr : Carbon Lett.
2025, 35(5), pp.2395~2410
DOI : 10.1007/s42823-025-00932-4
Publisher : Korean Carbon Society
Research Area : Natural Science > Natural Science General > Other Natural Sciences General
Received : March 6, 2025
Accepted : May 26, 2025
Published : December 11, 2025

F. S. Abd El‑kawy ¹, S. Hammad ¹, H. Talaat ², G. Bacher ³, M. Ghali ⁴

¹Egypt-Japan University of Science and Technology
²Ain Shams University
³Duisburg-Essen University
⁴Kafrelsheikh University

Accredited

ABSTRACT

The avenue to synthesize eco-friendly and high-performing warm-white light emitting diodes (WLEDs) using quantum-dots for color conversion is challenging. Here, the graphene quantum dots (GQDs) are synthesized from Moringa oleifera leaves without the need of any organic solvents or reducing agents by a one-pot hydrothermal method and utilized for the design of efficient warm WLEDs. The photoluminescence of the obtained GQDs is found to be red-shifted as the excitation wavelength increases. This is ascribed to an excitation of multiple transitions due to various surface traps related to surface amino and oxygen functionalized groups as revealed from X-ray-photoelectron–spectroscopy and FTIR results. Three different concentrations of GQDs are embedded in polyvinyl-alcohol matrix acting as color-converters for the design of WLED devices. By increasing the GQDs concentration, the color correlated temperatures are tuned from 3804 to 2593 K and the luminous efficacy from 39.3 to 71.69 lm/W. Moreover, the chromaticity coordinates of the devices are shifted from (0.3825, 0.3665) to (0.4807, 0.4478). The brightness of the fabricated devices based on these green-GQDs are comparable with those of warm LEDs prepared from chemically synthesized graphene and carbon dots and can be suitable for indoor lighting applications.

KEYWORDS

Green synthesis, Moringa leaves, Graphene quantum dots, Color conversion, White LEDs

Citation status

This is the result of checking the information with the same ISSN, publication year, volume, and start page between the WoS and the KCI journals. (as of 2026-07-09)

Total Citation Counts(KCI+WOS) (2) This is the number of times that the duplicate count has been removed by comparing the citation list of WoS and KCI.

* References for papers published after 2025 are currently being built.

[journal] Schubert EF / 2005 / Solid-state light sources getting smart / Science 308 : 1274~1278

[journal] Song WS / 2012 / Fabrication of white light-emitting diodes based on solvothermally synthesized copper indium sulfide quantum dots as color converters / Appl Phys Lett 100 : 183104~

[journal] Zhang Q / 2014 / Fluorescent nanomaterial-derived white light-emitting diodes: what's going on / J Mater Chem C 2 : 4358~4373

[book] Nakamura S / 1996 / The blue laser diode / Springer : 216~221

[journal] Chen L / 2020 / Orange-emissive carbon dot phosphors for warm white light-emitting diodes with high color rendering index / Opt Mater 109 : 110346~

[journal] Nakamura M / 2018 / Exposure to excessive blue LED light damages retinal pigment epithelium and photoreceptors of pigmented mice / Exp Eye Res 177 : 1~11

[journal] Hatori M / 2017 / Global rise of potential health hazards caused by blue light-induced circadian disruption in modern aging societies / NPG Aging Mech Dis 3(1) : 9~

[journal] Park SJ / 2019 / Ultraviolet to blue blocking and wavelength convertible films using carbon dots for interrupting eye damage caused by general lighting / Nano Energy 60 : 87~94

[journal] Rukmini AV / 2017 / Pupillary responses to short-wavelength light are preserved in aging / Sci Rep 7 : 43832~

[journal] Zhu HM / 2014 / Highly efficient non-rare-earth red emitting phosphor for warm white light-emitting diodes / Nat Commun 5 : 4312~

[journal] Lü W / 2014 / Novel efficient Mn4+ activated Ca14Al10Zn6O35 phosphor: application in red-emitting and white LEDs / Inorg Chem 53 : 11985~11990

[journal] Yang Z / 2019 / Studies on luminescence properties of double perovskite deep red phosphor La2ZnTiO6:Mn4+ for indoor plant growth LED applications / J Alloys Compd 802 : 628~635

[journal] Li XF / 2013 / New yellow Ba0.93Eu0.07Al2O4 phosphor for warm-white light-emitting diodes through single-emitting-center conversion / Light Sci Appl 2 : e50~

[journal] Suchithra VG / 2024 / A single phased full color emitting pyrochlore type phosphor La2Y0.66Sn0.66Sb0.66O7: Bi3+, Eu3+ for white light emitting diode applications (WLEDs) / Solid State Sci 155 : 107633~

[journal] Luo W / 2024 / Facile synthesis of rare earth ions doped LiSr4(BN2)3 phosphors for white light-emitting diodes / J Alloys Compd 999 : 175052~

[journal] Chan J / 2024 / Efficient violet-light-excitable blue-cyan-emitting Ca2YHf2GaAl2O12:Ce3+ garnet phosphors enable high-color-rendering full-spectrum warm-white LEDs / Mater Today Chem 40 : 102218~

[journal] Chen J / 2024 / A review on quantum dot-based color conversion layers for mini/micro-LED displays: packaging, light management, and pixelation / Adv Opt Mater 12 : 2300873~

[journal] Kang F / 2016 / Band-gap modulation in single Bi3+ -doped yttrium-scandium-niobium vanadates for color tuning over the whole visible spectrum / Chem Mater 28(8) : 2692~2703

[journal] Jang HJ / 2020 / Progress of display performances: AR, VR, QLED, and OLED / J Inf Displ 21 : 1~9

[journal] Zhang T / 2024 / Dual emission quaternary alloyed quantum dots for white light-emitting diodes with high color-rendering index / Opt Mater 147 : 114732~

[journal] Jin X / 2021 / Thick-shell CdZnSe/ZnSe/ZnS quantum dots for bright white light-emitting diodes / J Luminesc 229 : 117670~

[journal] Bai J / 2021 / High color-rendering index and stable white light-emitting diodes based on highly luminescent quantum dots / Part Part Syst Charact 38 : 2100120~

[journal] Fan C / 2024 / Recent progress of quantum dots light-emitting diodes: materials, device structures, and display applications / Adv Mater 36 : 2312948~

[journal] Li Q / 2023 / High-performance, environmentally friendly solid-phase color converted-based quantum dots white light-emitting diodes / J Luminesc 255 : 119560~

[journal] Xue Q / 2024 / Green synthesis of high-quality indium phosphide quantum dots using tripyrrolidine phosphine as a promising phosphorus source for white LED / Mater Today Nano 25 : 100457~

[journal] Chandrasiri HB / 2020 / Sterically encumbered tris (trialkylsilyl) phosphine precursors for quantum dot synthesis / Inorg Chem 59 : 15928~15935

[journal] Lu H / 2022 / Synthesis and structure design of I-III-VI quantum dots for white light-emitting diodes / Mater Chem Front 6 : 418~429

[journal] Song L / 2015 / Structure observation of graphene quantum dots by single-layered formation in layered confinement space / Chem Sci 6 : 4846~4850

[journal] Fujii S / 2010 / Cutting of oxidized graphene into nanosized pieces / J Am Chem Soc 132 : 10034~10041

[journal] Ponomarenko LA / 2008 / Chaotic Dirac billiard in graphene quantum dots / Science 320 : 356~358

[journal] Wang L / 2018 / Ultrastable amine, sulfo cofunctionalized graphene quantum dots with high two-photon fluorescence for cellular imaging / ACS Sustain Chem Eng 6 : 4711~4716

[journal] Ananthanarayanan A / 2014 / Facile synthesis of graphene quantum dots from 3D graphene and their application for Fe3+ sensing / Adv Funct Mater 24 : 3021~3026

[journal] Pan D / 2015 / Efficient separation of electron-hole pairs in graphene quantum dots by TiO2 heterojunctions for dye degradation / ACS Sustain Chem Eng 3 : 2405~2413

[journal] Kharangarh PR / 2021 / Graphene quantum dots decorated on spinel nickel cobaltite nanocomposites for boosting supercapacitor electrode material performance / J Alloy Compd 876 : 159990~

[journal] Kharangarh PR / 2022 / Synthesis of luminescent graphene quantum dots from biomass waste materials for energy-related applications-An overview / Energy Storage 3 : e390~

[journal] Kharangarh PR / 2022 / Synthesis and characterization of Nb-doped strontium cobaltite@GQD electrodes for high performance supercapacitors / J Energy Storage 55 : 105388~

[journal] Zuo W / 2017 / Functionalization of graphene quantum dots by fluorine: preparation, properties, application, and their mechanisms / Appl. Phys Lett 110 : 221901~

[journal] Zhang Z / 2012 / Graphene quantum dots: An emerging material for energy-related applications and beyond / Energy Environ Sci 5 : 8869~8890

[journal] Li W / 2018 / Three-minute ultra-rapid microwave-assisted synthesis of bright fluorescent graphene quantum dots for live cell staining and white LEDs / ACS Appl Nano Mater 1 : 1623~1630

[journal] Xu Y / 2023 / Single-phase excitation-wavelength-independent nitrogen doped graphene quantum dots for the fabrication of white light-emitting diodes (WLEDs) / New J Chem 47 : 17339~17345

[journal] Hsu C / 2023 / Pivotal role of Boron-doped graphene quantum dots in stretchable and Self-Healable red emission nanocomposite Film: One step advance for white light emitting diodes application / J Mater Chem C 473 : 145469~

[journal] Wang F / 2011 / White light-emitting devices based on carbon dots electroluminescence / Chem Commun 47 : 3502~3504

[journal] Yang Y / 2021 / Multifunctional red-emission graphene quantum dots with tunable light emissions for trace water sensing, WLEDs and information encryption / Colloids Surf A Physicochem Eng Asp 622 : 126593~

[journal] Chen YX / 2020 / Highly efficient orange emissive graphene quantum dots prepared by acid-free method for white LEDs / ACS Sustain Chem Eng 8 : 6657~6666

[journal] Yin L / 2019 / Yellow fluorescent graphene quantum dots as a phosphor for white tunable light-emitting diodes / RSC Adv 9 : 9301~9307

[book] Estévez J / 2014 / Chloroform / Elsevier : 885~890

[journal] Kim TH / 2011 / Clinical outcomes of occupational exposure to N,N-dimethylformamide: perspectives from experimental toxicology / Saf Health Work 2 : 97~104

[journal] Tanaka K / 1982 / The toxicity of N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) / Sangyo Igaku 24 : 3~12

[journal] Leone A / 2015 / Cultivation, genetic, ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry and pharmacology of Moringa oleifera leaves: an overview / Int J Mol Sci 16 : 12791~12835

[journal] Bhatnagar AS / 2013 / Natural antioxidants of the Jaffna variety of Moringa Oleífera seed oil of Indian origin as compared to other vegetable oils / Grasasy Aceites 64(5) : 537~545

[journal] Yang M / 2023 / Moringa oleifera Lam. leaves as new raw food material: a review of its nutritional composition, functional properties, and comprehensive application / Trends Food Sci Technol 138 : 399~416

[journal] Dong Y / 2013 / Carbon-based dots co-doped with nitrogen and sulfur for high quantum yield and excitation-independent emission / Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 125 : 7954~7958

[journal] Wang L / 2014 / Gram-scale synthesis of single-crystalline graphene quantum dots with superior optical properties / Nat Commun 5 : 5357~

[journal] Lee SH / 2019 / Synthesis of single-crystalline hexagonal graphene quantum dots from solution chemistry / Nano Lett 14(19) : 5437~5442

[journal] Du Q / 2018 / The synthesis of green fluorescent carbon dots for warm white LEDs / RSC Adv 8 : 19585~19595

[journal] Kharangarh PR / 2017 / Effect of defects on quantum yield in blue emitting photoluminescent nitrogen doped graphene quantum dots / J Appl Phys 122 : 145107~

[journal] Kang H / 2023 / Top-down fabrication of luminescent graphene quantum dots using self-assembled Au nanoparticles / ACS Omega 8 : 5885~5892

[journal] Li Y / 2012 / Nitrogen-doped graphene quantum dots with oxygen-rich functional groups / J Am Chem Soc 1 : 134~

[journal] Lai S / 2020 / Mechanisms behind excitation-and concentration-dependent multicolor photoluminescence in graphene quantum dots / Nanoscale 12 : 591~601

[journal] Yan R / 2014 / Graphene quantum dots cut from graphene flakes: high electrocatalytic activity for oxygen reduction and low cytotoxicity / RSC Adv 4 : 23097~23106

[journal] Park SJ / 2021 / Correlated color temperature alteration with changing the position of carbon dot film for warm WLEDs / Dye Pigment 186 : 109063~

[journal] Moyo B / 2011 / Nutritional characterization of Moringa (Moringa oleifera Lam.) leaves / Afr J Biotechnol 10 : 12925~12933

[journal] Chiș A / 2024 / Bioactive compounds in Moringa oleifera: mechanisms of action focus on their anti-inflammatory properties / Plants 13 : 20~

[journal] Guo H / 2022 / One-pot synthesis of orange emissive carbon quantum dots for all-type high color rendering index white light-emitting diodes / ACS Sustainable Chem Eng 10 : 8289~8296

[journal] Chandra S / 2014 / High throughput electron transfer from carbon dots to chloroplast: a rationale of enhanced photosynthesis / Nanoscale 6 : 3647~3655

[journal] Chen W / 2018 / Synthesis of graphene quantum dots from natural polymer starch for cell imaging / Green Chem 20 : 4438~4442

[journal] Sun YP / 2006 / Quantum-sized carbon dots for bright and colorful photoluminescence / J Am Chem Soc 128(24) : 7756~7757

[journal] Liu F / 2013 / Facile synthetic method for pristine graphene quantum dots and graphene oxide quantum dots: origin of blue and green luminescence / Adv Mater 25 : 3657~3662

[journal] Li X / 2014 / Engineering surface states of carbon dots to achieve controllable luminescence for solid-luminescent composites and sensitive Be2+ detection / Sci Rep 4 : 4976~

[journal] Ding H / 2016 / Full-color light-emitting carbon dots with a surface-state-controlled luminescence mechanism / ACS Nano 10 : 484~491

[journal] Chen D / 2017 / Excitation-independent dual-color carbon dots: surface-state controlling and solid-state lighting / ACS Photonics 4 : 2352~2358

[journal] Saud A / 2022 / Sustainable preparation of graphene quantum dots for metal ion sensing application / Nanomaterials 13 : 148~

[journal] Bhatt S / 2018 / Green route for synthesis of multifunctional fluorescent carbon dots from tulsi leaves and its application as Cr(VI) sensors, bio-imaging and patterning agents / Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces 167 : 126~133

[journal] Bhamore JR / 2017 / Synthesis of water dispersible fluorescent carbon nanocrystals from Syzygium cumini fruits for the detection of Fe3⁺ ion in water and biological samples and imaging of Fusarium avenaceum cells / J Fluoresc 27 : 125~134

[journal] Li L / 2017 / Green synthesis of nitrogen-doped carbon dots from Ginkgo fruits and the application in cell imaging / Inorg Chem Commun 86 : 227~231

[journal] Yu P / 2012 / Temperature-dependent fluorescence in carbon dots / J Phys Chem C 116 : 25552~25557

[journal] Kang S / 2019 / Simple preparation of graphene quantum dots with controllable surface states from graphite / RSC Adv 9 : 38447~38453

[journal] Baker SN / 2010 / Luminescent carbon nanodots: emergent nanolights / Angew Chem Int Ed 49 : 6726~6744

[journal] Kwon W / 2014 / Electroluminescence from graphene quantum dots prepared by amidative cutting of tattered graphite / Nano Lett 14 : 1306~1311

[journal] He P / 2021 / Highly stable yellow-emitting fluorescent film based on graphene quantum dots for white laser-emitting devices / J Luminesc 238 : 118275~

[journal] Dai W / 2017 / Rare-earth free self-activated graphene quantum dots and copper-cysteamine phosphors for enhanced white light-emitting-diodes under single excitation / Sci Rep 7 : 12872~

[journal] Liu Y / 2020 / Effects of graphene quantum dots coating on the luminescence properties of K2SiF6:Mn4+ red-emitting phosphors / J Mater Sci Mater Electron 31 : 444~456

[journal] Wang X-F / 2018 / Towards high-powered remote WLED based on flexible white-luminescent polymer composite films containing S, N co-doped graphene quantum dots / Chem Eng J 336 : 406~415

[journal] Pramanik A / 2020 / Forster resonance energy transfer assisted white light generation and luminescence tuning in a colloidal graphene quantum dot-dye system / Colloid Interf Sci 565 : 326~336

[journal] Gopal R / 2023 / Aggregation-induced white light emission and solvent-induced dual mode multi-analyte sensing by highly crystalline single component derived N, S Co-doped carbon nanodots / ACS Appl Opt Mater 1 : 701~714

[journal] Varatharajan P / 2023 / Hydrothermal synthesis of orange fluorescent carbon dots and their application in fabrication of warm WLEDs and fluorescent ink / Phys B 654 : 414703~

[journal] Lin S / 2017 / Solvatochromism of bright carbon dots with tunable long-wavelength emission from green to red and their application as solid-state materials for warm WLEDs / RSC Adv 7 : 41552~41560

KJCKorea
Journal Central

Carbon Letters 2025 KCI Impact Factor : 0.73 KCI-WoS Impact Factor : 6.26

Bright white light emitting diodes based on sustainable graphene quantum dots derived from Moringa oleifera leaves as photo-converter layer

ABSTRACT

KEYWORDS

Citation status

This is the result of checking the information with the same ISSN, publication year, volume, and start page between the WoS and the KCI journals. (as of 2026-07-09)

Total Citation Counts(KCI+WOS) (2) This is the number of times that the duplicate count has been removed by comparing the citation list of WoS and KCI.

* References for papers published after 2025 are currently being built.

Carbon Letters 2025 KCI Impact Factor : 0.73 KCI-WoS Impact Factor : 6.26

Bright white light emitting diodes based on sustainable graphene quantum dots derived from Moringa oleifera leaves as photo-converter layer

ABSTRACT

KEYWORDS

Statistics

Tools

Issue List

Citation status

KCI Citation Counts (0)

WoS Citation Counts (2) This is the result of checking the information with the same ISSN, publication year, volume, and start page between the WoS and the KCI journals. (as of 2026-07-09)

Total Citation Counts(KCI+WOS) (2) This is the number of times that the duplicate count has been removed by comparing the citation list of WoS and KCI.

REFERENCES (87) * References for papers published after 2025 are currently being built.

Search PDF

Citation

This is the result of checking the information with the same ISSN, publication year, volume, and start page between the WoS and the KCI journals. (as of 2026-07-09)

* References for papers published after 2025 are currently being built.