ABSTRACT

Carbon Dots are an emerging class of carbon-based nanoparticles, which since their discovery have attracted tremendous attention because of their exceptional fluorescent, chemical and mechanical properties as well as high photostability and biocompatibility. This unique combination of outstanding characteristics, together with the ease with which they can be synthesized, qualify carbon dots as highly promising materials for applications in electronics and biology, in particular, for biosensing, bioimaging, biotherapy and drug delivery. In this review, we present some of the most recent applications of carbon dots in biology and medicine, concentrating on their fluorescence properties, biocompatibility and efficiency; we also discuss how improvements could prompt their use in human studies. We illustrate how carbon dots, prepared through several facile and cost-effective methods by either the bottom-up or the top-down route, can be used for imaging cells and bacteria and as sensing probes of metal cations. Moreover, we explain how their astonishing versatility has given rise to new biotherapy methods especially in the field of cancer theranostics.

摘要

碳点是一类新兴的基于碳的纳米粒子，自发现以来，由于其出色的荧光，化学和机械特性以及高光稳定性和生物相容性，受到了极大的关注。优异特性的独特结合以及易于合成的特点使碳点成为电子和生物学应用中特别是生物传感，生物成像，生物疗法和药物输送中极有前途的材料。在这篇综述中，我们介绍了碳点在生物学和医学中的一些最新应用，重点是它们的荧光性质，生物相容性和效率。我们还将讨论改进如何促进其在人类研究中的应用。我们说明了碳点 通过自下而上或自上而下的路线，通过几种简便且经济高效的方法制备的样品，可用于对细胞和细菌成像以及用作金属阳离子的传感探针。此外，我们解释了它们惊人的多功能性如何带来了新的生物疗法方法，特别是在癌症治疗学领域。