Themed collection Carbon Dots

Bai Yang, Raz Jelinek and Zhenhui Kang introduce the Materials Chemistry Frontiers themed collection on carbon dots.

A brief review of CDots from the perspective of traditional QDs clarifies the basic concepts, unique characteristics and challenges.

This review summarizes the recent progress in the design and preparation of multiple electrochemical energy storage devices utilizing carbon dots, and elaborates the positive effects of carbon dots on the resulting electrodes and devices.

The synthesis, optical properties, and biomedical applications of CDs are summarized.

This review summarizes and discusses the recent advances and future prospects of carbon dots as nanotheranostic agents for anticancer applications.

Carbon dots (CDs) have gained tremendous attention in agriculture. Herein, we summarize recent progress of the interaction between CDs and plant systems, mainly including plant growth, photosynthesis, resistance, etc.

We highlight the recent advances and future prospects of the spectroscopic studies of the optical properties of carbon dots.

We summarized the progress in the synthesis, doping and modification strategies of GQDs and the development and application of GQDs in energy storage and conversion devices.

Carbon dots (CDs) with incomparable optical properties have attracted extensive attention. However, some unclear issues remain, which has impeded the basic understanding and practical application of CDs.

Recent representative advances in the long-lived afterglow properties and applications of carbon dots are summarized and discussed.

This review summarizes the recent development of ECL sensors based on carbon-based dots. Particularly, various analytical approaches involving metal ions, small molecules, proteins, nucleic acids and cells are thoroughly presented.

Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) paired carbon dot composite nanoprobes are studied as multi-functional platforms for sensing and imaging applications.

The great accomplishments were achieved under high pressure, including piezochromic luminescence, capturing high pressure phase, and pressure-triggered aggregation-induced emission enhancement.

CD@zeolite composites with tunable TADF emission via an energy transfer process between confined CDs.

A composite phosphor comprising carbon dots and g-C₃N₄ is prepared on a large scale through a green microwave assisted in situ heating method, and is used for fabrication of white LEDs with a power efficiency of up to 42 lm W⁻¹.

The Ru supported on Porphyra-CQDs exhibited better dispersibility and the highest activity compared with biomass Porphyra and Porphyra activated carbon owing to the strong coordination interactions between Ru and CQDs.

Highly fluorescent N-dots are rationally designed and synthesized through microwave-assisted reaction of 2-azidoimidazole with glycerol crosslinker and are employed as an effective chemosensor for Ag⁺ analysis via the static quenching effect.

Carbonized polymer dots (CPDs) are introduced into TiO₂ photonic crystals (PCs) to form CPD/PC heterostructures, which show enhanced light harvesting and charge separation and thus promoted photocatalytic performance.

Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ quantum dots anchored on 3D carbon frameworks from carbon dots were designed and exhibited superior electrochemical lithium storage performance.

BODIPY@carbon dot nanocomposites were made, which improved the solubility of BODIPY and enhanced the photodynamic activity.