Recent Advances in Synthesis, Modification, Characterization, and Applications of Carbon Dots

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Chemistry

Background:

• Carbon dots (CDs) show great promise but face challenges in large-scale synthesis, purification, quantum yield, and understanding structure-property relationships.
• Current limitations hinder the commercial viability and widespread application of carbon dots.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent progress in the synthesis, modification, characterization, and applications of carbon dots.
• To correlate synthesis parameters, structure, composition, and properties with the performance of CDs-based materials.
• To highlight advances in scalable fabrication and diverse applications of CDs.

Main Methods:

• Summarized recent advances in synthesis approaches, purification techniques, and modification/doping strategies for carbon dots.
• Illustrated examples of kilogram-scale fabrication of CDs.
• Utilized synchrotron near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) to investigate structure-photophysics-performance correlations.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated that synthesis parameters (e.g., incubation time, precursor ratio, laser pulse width) and surface passivation significantly influence CD properties and performance.
• Highlighted factors affecting CD properties, including polarity-sensitive fluorescence, concentration-dependent luminescence, size, and surface states.
• Showcased advances in CDs for bioimaging, sensing, therapy, energy, environmental remediation, and other applications.

Conclusions:

• Recent advances have overcome several challenges in carbon dots (CDs) research, enabling tunable properties and diverse applications.
• Understanding structure-property relationships through advanced characterization is crucial for optimizing CD performance.
• Carbon dots, doped CDs, and their composites are poised for significant impact across various technological fields.