Global Innovative Centre for Advanced Nanomaterials, School of Engineering, College of Engineering, Science and Environment, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, 2308, Australia.
School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of New South Wales (UNSW), Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia.
Small. 2023 Apr;19(17):e2207181. doi: 10.1002/smll.202207181. Epub 2023 Jan 24.
Carbon-based quantum dots (QDs) have emerged as a fascinating class of advanced materials with a unique combination of optoelectronic, biocompatible, and catalytic characteristics, apt for a plethora of applications ranging from electronic to photoelectrochemical devices. Recent research works have established carbon-based QDs for those frontline applications through improvements in materials design, processing, and device stability. This review broadly presents the recent progress in the synthesis of carbon-based QDs, including carbon QDs, graphene QDs, graphitic carbon nitride QDs and their heterostructures, as well as their salient applications. The synthesis methods of carbon-based QDs are first introduced, followed by an extensive discussion of the dependence of the device performance on the intrinsic properties and nanostructures of carbon-based QDs, aiming to present the general strategies for device designing with optimal performance. Furthermore, diverse applications of carbon-based QDs are presented, with an emphasis on the relationship between band alignment, charge transfer, and performance improvement. Among the applications discussed in this review, much focus is given to photo and electrocatalytic, energy storage and conversion, and bioapplications, which pose a grand challenge for rational materials and device designs. Finally, a summary is presented, and existing challenges and future directions are elaborated.
碳基量子点 (QDs) 作为一类具有独特光电、生物相容性和催化特性的先进材料，非常适合从电子到光电化学器件等多种应用。通过改进材料设计、处理和器件稳定性，最近的研究工作已经为这些前沿应用确立了碳基 QDs。本综述广泛介绍了碳基 QDs 的合成研究进展，包括碳量子点、石墨烯量子点、石墨相氮化碳量子点及其杂化结构，以及它们的突出应用。首先介绍了碳基 QDs 的合成方法，然后广泛讨论了器件性能对碳基 QDs 固有特性和纳米结构的依赖性，旨在提出具有最佳性能的器件设计的一般策略。此外，还介绍了碳基 QDs 的多种应用，重点介绍了能带排列、电荷转移和性能提高之间的关系。在本综述讨论的应用中，光催化和电催化、能量存储和转换以及生物应用受到了极大关注，这对合理的材料和器件设计提出了重大挑战。最后总结了现有挑战和未来发展方向。
