Graphene Quantum Dots and its Potential Applications

Abstract

In recent years, graphene quantum dots (GQDs) have rapidly emerged as a prominent class of novel nanomaterials. They exhibit some unique and advantageous properties such as small size, absorption in both the ultraviolet and visible regions, strong and tunable photoluminescence, high photostability, and low toxicity thus high biocompatibility. GQDs can be synthesized through either “top-down” or “bottom-up” approaches which affect to their size, shape, and properties. They show enormous potential for many applications, for instance in sensing, photocatalysis, photovoltaics, bioimaging, and drug delivery. This review summarizes recent progress in the field, covering the properties of GQDs, methods for their fabrication, and their applications in many fields.