New development in carbon quantum dots technical applications

As a newly emerged member in carbon nanomaterials family, carbon quantum dots (CQDs) attracted everincreasing attention owing to their ultracompact size, excellent photoluminescence, favorable biocompatibility, versatile surface and superior electron transfer ability. The past decade has witnessed continuous advancements in the production of CQDs with high photoluminescence quantum yields for various applications. Herein, we track the newest development of CQDs with advanced physicochemical properties and their applications in sensing, bioimaging, nanomedicine and catalysis, and propose the challenges and perspectives in this exciting and promising field. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.