Abstract: Similar to other carbon nano-materials, such as fullerenes, carbon nanotubes and graphene, carbon dots(C-dots) have inspired intensive research attention according to their superior solubility in water, chemical inertness, low toxicity, easy functionalization and resistance to photobleaching. C-dots can be produced inexpensively through lots of one-tep approaches on a large scale such as simple chemical oxidation reactions, ultrasonic treatment, microwave method and laser ablation strategy, etc. In this review, we mainly introduced different synthesis approaches of C-dots, size- and wavelength-dependent luminescence emission property, etc. Furthermore, applications of C-dots in photocatalysis, energy conversion/storage, bioimaging, optoelectronics, optical limiting, sensors, etc. were also discussed.

Key words: carbon dots, fluorescence, quantum dots, nanoparticles