ABSTRACT
Fluorescent carbon dots (CDs) nanoparticles are usually referred as the natural and sustainable alternative to the semiconductor quantum dots (QDs). Indeed, CDs can easily be synthesized from renewable biomass. Compared to QDs, they have a higher solubility in water, have higher resistance to photo degradation, show a nonblinking luminescence, and have lower toxicity and generally good biocompatibility. The color-tuning properties in the visible wavelength range and quantum yields (QYs) of CDs are usually referred as less favorable properties when compared with QDs, but recent research advances are markedly improving these characteristics of CDs (Esteves da Silva 2011, 2012; Zhang et al. 2013).
