ABSTRACT
Green fluorescent carbon dots (CDs) have gained ample interest due to their less toxicity and low cost. They constitute a new class of nanocarbon materials prepared by simple green synthetic routes. The optical properties of the prepared CDs deeply depend on the surface passivation and functionalization provided by the green carbon sources on the surface of CDs. CDs have found profound applications in various fields such as sensing, bioimaging, catalysis, and drug delivery. In this chapter, we discuss briefly on the synthesis of CDs by means of different green sources, their optical properties, principles of sensing, heavy metal pollution, and also the application of CDs as fluorescent probes for the detection of different heavy metal ions.
