Pandya Pranav, Webster Thomas J, Ghosh Sougata
Department of Microbiology, School of Science, RK University, Rajkot, Gujarat, India.
School of Health Sciences and Biomedical Engineering, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin, China.
Front Chem. 2024 Oct 15;12:1458804. doi: 10.3389/fchem.2024.1458804. eCollection 2024.
Quantum dots (QDs), also known as nanoparticle-based fluorescent probes, are luminescent semiconductor particles with a size range of 2-20 nm. The unique optical and electronic capabilities of QDs have led to expanded applications in several fields such as optoelectronics, transistors, sensors, photodetection, catalysis, and medicine. The distinct quantum effects of nanocrystals can be controlled by changing their sizes and shapes using a variety of top-down and bottom-up tactics. QDs were traditionally fabricated using complex, expensive, toxic, and aggressive chemical techniques, which limited their application in a variety of disciplines. A unique approach for the biosynthesis of nanomaterials has been devised, which employs living organisms in the synthesis process and adheres to green chemistry principles. Biogenic QDs have favorable physicochemical features, biocompatibility, and fewer cytotoxic effects as a result of using natural biomolecules and enzymatic processes for mineralization, detoxification, and nucleation of metals and nonmetals to synthesize QDs. This is the first comprehensive review of its kind that highlights the synthesis of several doped and undoped QDs, including graphene QDs, carbon dots, silicon QDs, N/S-CDs, silver-CDs, cadmium-selenium QDs, and zinc oxide QDs, exclusively using photoautotrophic algae and plants. The different plausible mechanisms behind phyco- and phyto-fabrication of QDs are also discussed in detail along with their applications that include detection of organic and inorganic compounds, degradation of hazardous dyes, free radical scavenging, antimicrobial activity, cytotoxicity and bioimaging. Thus, this review aims to give valuable insights for the rational fabrication of photoluminescent nanomaterials with tunable structural and functional properties.
量子点（QDs），也被称为基于纳米颗粒的荧光探针，是尺寸范围在2至20纳米的发光半导体颗粒。量子点独特的光学和电子特性已使其在多个领域得到了更广泛的应用，如光电子学、晶体管、传感器、光探测、催化和医学等。通过使用各种自上而下和自下而上的策略来改变纳米晶体的尺寸和形状，可以控制其独特的量子效应。传统上，量子点是使用复杂、昂贵、有毒且具有侵蚀性的化学技术制造的，这限制了它们在各种学科中的应用。人们已经设计出一种独特的纳米材料生物合成方法，该方法在合成过程中利用活生物体并遵循绿色化学原则。由于使用天然生物分子和酶促过程进行金属和非金属的矿化、解毒和成核以合成量子点，生物源量子点具有良好的物理化学特性、生物相容性和较低的细胞毒性作用。这是同类中的第一篇全面综述，重点介绍了仅使用光合自养藻类和植物合成多种掺杂和未掺杂量子点的方法，包括石墨烯量子点、碳点、硅量子点、氮/硫共掺杂碳点、银掺杂碳点、镉硒量子点和氧化锌量子点。还详细讨论了藻类和植物制造量子点背后不同可能的机制，以及它们的应用，包括有机和无机化合物检测、有害染料降解、自由基清除、抗菌活性、细胞毒性和生物成像。因此，本综述旨在为合理制造具有可调结构和功能特性的光致发光纳米材料提供有价值的见解。
