Photoluminescent Carbon Dots: A New Generation Nanocarbon Material

Abstract

Carbon dots, an advancing group of zero-dimensional quasi-spherical nanocarbon particles, have received great recognition in the scientific world during recent years. This promising nanomaterial with exceptional features is widely explored in various aspects owing to their excellent optical, structural, and physicochemical properties. Many facile and cost-effective synthetic methodologies such as hydrothermal treatment, microwave pyrolysis, and arc discharge method can be implemented for fabricating these carbon dots. Synthetic methodologies as well as precursor materials determine the applicability, and the use of biomass as a precursor is discussed in detail. They possess superior properties such as tunable photoluminescence, easy functionalization, high crystallization, excellent biocompatibility, and good disperse ability. Functional properties can be enhanced by chemical modification as well as doping on the surface. These multifunctional materials and their nanocomposites find potential applications in the areas of photocatalysis, bioimaging, and sensing. The challenges and future scope of carbon dots in the scientific realm are also discussed in this chapter.