Unlocking the potential of green-engineered carbon quantum dots for sustainable packaging, biomedical applications and water purification
Review article, 2025

Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) with well-defined architectures offer highly fascinating properties such as excellent water-solubility, exceptional luminescence, large specific surface area, non-toxicity, biocompatibility and tuneable morphological, structural, and chemical features. This review comprehensively overviews recent breakthroughs and critical milestones in the green synthesis of CQDs from renewable sources and provides guidance for their sustainable development towards fulfilling the goals of green chemistry. It also discusses the interaction of CQDs with various biopolymers to improve the material performance and functionality. This paper also highlights the latest technological applications of CQDs in numerous fields, including sustainable packaging, biosensing, bioimaging, cancer therapy, drug delivery as well as water purification. Finally, it summarizes the main challenges and provides an outlook on the future directions of CQDs in packaging and biomedical fields. This review can act as a roadmap to guide researchers for tailoring the properties of CQDs for important composite and biomedical fields.

Green-chemistry

Cancer therapy

Carbon quantum dots

Biocompatibility

Food safety

Author

Yasaman Esmaeili

Deakin University

Farzad Toiserkani

University of Akron

Zeinab Qazanfarzadeh

Chalmers, Life Sciences, Industrial Biotechnology

Mehran Ghasemlou

RMIT University

Deakin University

Minoo Naebe

Deakin University

Colin J. Barrow

Deakin University

Wendy Timms

Deakin University

Shima Jafarzadeh

Deakin University

Advances in Colloid and Interface Science

0001-8686 (ISSN)

Vol. 338 103414

Subject Categories (SSIF 2025)

Materials Chemistry

Physical Chemistry

DOI

10.1016/j.cis.2025.103414

PubMed

39889506

More information

Latest update

2/13/2025