Written by the founder of the field of carbon quantum dots (carbon dots) and related technology
this book outlines the principles of carbon dots and presents strong evidence for that small
carbon nanoparticles and by extension carbon dots represent the nanoscale carbon allotrope at
zero-dimension. Historical accounts of the inception and evolution of the carbon dots field are
provided. Experimental approaches and techniques for the dot synthesis and some related major
issues are discussed in detail. The photoexcited state properties especially the bright and
colorful photoluminescence emissions and photoinduced redox characteristics of carbon dots are
presented and so are their advantages over semiconductor quantum dots as well as fullerenes.
Carbon dots are also compared with graphene quantum dots for which a unified mechanistic
understanding is proposed. Finally a broad range of applications of carbon dots and their
derived hybrid nanostructures in biomedical renewable energy food and environmental safety
and other technologies are highlighted. The book concludes with a discussion on the excellent
potential and opportunities for further research and development.
