New horizons for carbon dots: quantum nano-photoinitiating catalysts for cationic photopolymerization and three-dimensional (3D) printing under visible light

Herein, the application of various citric acid-based carbon dots (CDs) as efficient photosensitizers of iodonium salts in initiating the light-induced cationic polymerization process was investigated. Hence, carbon dots prepared from citric acid only (CA-CDs) and doped with amino (N-doped-CA-CDs) and sulphur (N,S-doped-CA-CDs) precursors have been utilized as universal iodonium salt photosensitizers for the cationic photopolymerization of vinyl and epoxy monomers and the free-radical photopolymerization of acrylates including the formation of hydrogels. Furthermore, carbon dots have been found to be intriguing nano-photoinitiating catalysts that exhibit extraordinary properties and can be successfully applied in 3D printing under visible light.