Biomass Synthesis of Carbon Dots

Abstract

This chapter evaluates in detail the composition, structure, properties and application characteristics of carbon dots (CDs) derived from different kinds of biomass. Using biomass as a carbon source can effectively prevent environmental pollution and reduce the costs of synthesis. It will provide new possibilities for the comprehensive utilization of waste and large-scale preparation of CDs. The synthesis of CDs from biomass has many advantages. Firstly, biomass is renewable, cheap, offers high-yield, and comes from a wide range of sources. Biomass-derived CDs can be mass-produced and have good biocompatibility. Second, the biomass carbon source itself could function as a heteroatom dopant to prepare doped CDs without deliberately introducing other passivators or functionalization. Finally, the structure and mechanism of the synthesis CDs are not clearly elucidated. However, the biomass-derived CDs have their own characteristics, owing to the unique structural characteristics of different kinds of biomass. Further studies on the optimized control of physical, chemical, and optical properties of CDs derived from raw materials are necessary, but biomass is likely to become the most popular carbon source in the future.