Issue 4, 2024

Recent advances in red-emissive carbon dots and their biomedical applications

Abstract

Recently, there has been a lot of interest in the use of red-emissive carbon dots (R-CDs) due to their low toxicity, solubility in water, and excellent optical properties. These properties make them perfect for use in various biomedical applications. One of the main advantages of R-CDs is that they can penetrate deep into biological tissue without any interference from the tissue's fluorescence. More and more studies have been conducted to explore the potential applications of R-CDs in medicine, making them an exciting area of research. However, one of the challenges is preparing R-CDs with a high fluorescence quantum yield in the deep-red or near-infrared region, and this is still a significant hurdle. Therefore, it is crucial to investigate the preparation approaches of R-CDs with high quantum yield, narrow emission, and multi-functionality to overcome this challenge. This review aims to discuss the synthetic strategies, optical properties, and potential biomedical applications of R-CDs. The focus will mainly be on the research progress of their applications in biological imaging, tumor photodynamic/photothermal therapy, and in the field of synergistic therapy. Additionally, we will also discuss the challenge of achieving R-CDs with specific properties favorable for prospects in biomedical applications.

Graphical abstract: Recent advances in red-emissive carbon dots and their biomedical applications

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
01 Sept. 2023
Accepted
06 Dec. 2023
First published
07 Dec. 2023

Mater. Chem. Front., 2024,8, 930-955

Recent advances in red-emissive carbon dots and their biomedical applications

W. Qin, M. Wang, Y. Li, L. Li, K. Abbas, Z. Li, A. C. Tedesco and H. Bi, Mater. Chem. Front., 2024, 8, 930 DOI: 10.1039/D3QM00968H

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