Carbon dots (CDs) have generated much interest because of their significant fluorescence (FL) properties, extraordinary photophysical attributes, and long-term colloidal stability. CDs have been regarded as a prospective carbon nanomaterial for various sensing applications because of their low toxicity, strong and broad optical absorption, high chemical stability, rapid transfer properties, and easy modification. To improve their functionality, CD/polymer composites have been developed by integrating polymers into CDs. CD/polymer composites have diversified because of their easy preparation and applications in sensing, optoelectronics, semiconductors, molecular delivery, and various commercial fields. Many review articles are available regarding the preparation and applications of CDs. Some review articles describing the production and multiple applications of the composites are available. However, no such article has focused on the types of precursors, optical properties, coating characteristics, and specific sensing applications of CD/polymer composites. This review aimed to highlight and summarize the current progress of CD/polymer composites in the last five years (2017–2021). First, we overview the precursors used for deriving CDs and CD/polymer composites, synthesis methods for preparing CDs and CD/polymer composites, and the optical properties (absorbance, FL, emission color, and quantum yield) and coating characteristics of the composites. Most carbon and polymer precursors were dominated by synthetic precursors, with citric acid and polyvinyl alcohol widely utilized as carbon and polymer precursors, respectively. Hydrothermal treatment for CDs and interfacial polymerization for CDs/polymers were frequently performed. The optical properties of CDs and CD/polymer composites were almost identical, denoting that the optical characters of CDs were well-maintained in the composites. Then, the chemical, biological, and physical sensing applications of CD/polymer composites are categorized and discussed. The CD/polymer composites showed good performance as chemical, biological, and physical sensors for numerous targets based on FL quenching efficiency. Finally, remaining challenges and future perspectives for CD/polymer composites are provided.

中文翻译：

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具有各种前体的碳点/聚合物复合材料及其传感应用：综述

碳点 (CD) 因其显着的荧光 (FL) 特性、非凡的光物理属性和长期胶体稳定性而引起了极大的兴趣。CDs因其毒性低、光吸收强而广、化学稳定性高、转移速度快和易于修饰等优点，被认为是一种具有前景的碳纳米材料，可用于各种传感应用。为了改善它们的功能，通过将聚合物集成到 CD 中开发了 CD/聚合物复合材料。CD/聚合物复合材料因其易于制备和在传感、光电子、半导体、分子传递和各种商业领域的应用而多样化。有许多关于 CD 的制备和应用的评论文章。一些描述复合材料的生产和多种应用的评论文章是可用的。然而，没有这样的文章关注 CD/聚合物复合材料的前体类型、光学特性、涂层特性和特定的传感应用。本综述旨在突出和总结过去五年（2017-2021 年）CD/聚合物复合材料的当前进展。首先，我们概述了用于衍生 CD 和 CD/聚合物复合材料的前体、制备 CD 和 CD/聚合物复合材料的合成方法，以及复合材料的光学性质（吸光度、FL、发射颜色和量子产率）和涂层特性。大多数碳和聚合物前体以合成前体为主，柠檬酸和聚乙烯醇分别广泛用作碳和聚合物前体。经常进行 CD 的水热处理和 CD/聚合物的界面聚合。CDs和CD/聚合物复合材料的光学性能几乎相同，表明CDs的光学特性在复合材料中得到了很好的保持。然后，对 CD/聚合物复合材料的化学、生物和物理传感应用进行了分类和讨论。CD/聚合物复合材料作为基于 FL 淬火效率的众多目标的化学、生物和物理传感器表现出良好的性能。最后，提供了 CD/聚合物复合材料的剩余挑战和未来前景。表明复合材料中 CD 的光学特性得到了很好的维护。然后，对 CD/聚合物复合材料的化学、生物和物理传感应用进行了分类和讨论。CD/聚合物复合材料作为基于 FL 淬火效率的众多目标的化学、生物和物理传感器表现出良好的性能。最后，提供了 CD/聚合物复合材料的剩余挑战和未来前景。表明复合材料中 CD 的光学特性得到了很好的维护。然后，对 CD/聚合物复合材料的化学、生物和物理传感应用进行了分类和讨论。CD/聚合物复合材料作为基于 FL 淬火效率的众多目标的化学、生物和物理传感器表现出良好的性能。最后，提供了 CD/聚合物复合材料的剩余挑战和未来前景。