Frontispiece: Photoluminescent Carbon Quantum Dots: Synthetic Approaches and Photophysical Properties

Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) are photostable, highly photoluminescent nanomaterials (size≤10 nm; high Φs) throughout the blue-to-red spectral region; their photophysical properties can be tuned by manipulating sizes and shapes, doping surface passivation. The unequivocal biocompatibility low-toxicity of CQDs have made them useful in bioimaging, drug delivery, chemical sensing. They synthesized from low-cost carbon precursors (fruits, vegetables, biomass, chemicals) using top-down (arc discharge, laser ablation, acidic oxidation) bottom-up (thermal carbonization, microwave pyrolysis, ultrasonication, solvothermally, electrochemically) approaches. For more information, see Review N. Serpone co-workers on page 9466 ff.