Carbon Dots and their Environmental Applications

CDs (Carbon dots) are a new group of zero-dimensional luminescent nanomaterials. They have drawn a lot of attention due to their excellent properties, for example, easy preparation, strong optical properties, low toxicity, significant biocompatibility, low cost, facile functionalization, tunable porous structures and high specific surface area. CDs have found many applications in the fields of bioimaging, sensing, catalysis, optoelectronics and energy conversion. Recently, CDs have demonstrated promising applications in the control of environmental pollution and remediation. CDs have been applied for environmental pollutants sensing, adsorption of contaminants, membrane-based separation, photocatalytic degradation of pollutants, and antimicrobial coatings for protection. In this chapter, we have discussed the classification of CDs, synthesis, properties and applications of CDs in environmental pollution control and environmental protection measures.