Carbon Quantum Dots: Chemical Synthesis, Properties and Applications

Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) were accidentally discovered in 2004, and since then have attracted considerable research interest due to their unique properties and potential technological applications. In addition to the excellent biocompatibility, their properties confer controlling the emission of light and multiphoton absorption, which can be potentially used in materials for light emitting devices (LEDs), solar photovoltaic devices, for photocatalytic degradation of dye molecules and also bioimagens and detection as nanoprobes. With nearly ten years of development, considerable progress has been made in methods for synthesizing CQDs and in the understanding of their properties. This review describes the main chemical methods used for their obtention, the investigation of their properties together with their most important technological applications.