Abstract
Recently discovered carbon quantum dots (CQDs) and graphene quantum dots (GQDs) with excellent optical properties sparked considerable interest in the scientific community. First of all, these CQDs and GQDs can be conveniently prepared using green protocols from virtually any carbon-rich media making them more attractive compared to other optical materials. Second, the emission spectrum of CQDs and GQDs can be tuned by controlling the reaction parameters or by incorporation of dopant ions. Finally, low-cost, non-toxic, inert, and photostable CQDs and GQDs already exhibited promising results in areas such as bioimaging, sensing and detection, photocatalysis, energy, and security printing.