Biogenic Carbon Quantum Dots: Synthesis and Applications.

Area of Science:

• Nanomaterials Science
• Green Chemistry
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Carbon dots (CDs) are quasi-spherical nanoparticles (<10 nm) with unique properties like aqueous solubility, photostability, and tunable fluorescence.
• Biogenic materials, derived from living organisms, are increasingly used for synthesizing CDs due to their low cost, renewability, and environmental friendliness.
• Biogenic carbon dots (BCDs) offer advantages over synthetically derived CDs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the synthesis and applications of biogenic carbon dots (BCDs) derived from natural precursors over the past five years.
• To highlight the advantages of using biogenic materials for CD synthesis.
• To provide an overview of BCDs in various applications, including sensors, drug delivery, bioimaging, catalysis, and energy.

Main Methods:

• Literature review focusing on studies published within the last five years.
• Analysis of different synthetic protocols for BCDs.
• Summarization of key findings and applications of BCDs.

Main Results:

• Biogenic materials are effective precursors for synthesizing CDs with desirable properties.
• Various synthetic methods are employed for BCD production.
• BCDs demonstrate significant potential in diverse applications such as chemo/biosensors, drug delivery, bioimaging, catalysis, and energy storage.

Conclusions:

• Biogenic carbon dots represent a sustainable and environmentally benign class of nanomaterials.
• BCDs are emerging as promising alternatives to conventional carbon quantum dots.
• Continued research into BCDs will likely drive innovation in various scientific and technological fields.