The development of luminescent dyes from waste sources represents a sustainable and cost-effective alternative to conventional dyes, addressing environmental concerns while offering advanced functionality for bioimaging and sensing applications. Traditional luminescent materials often suffer from high toxicity, low biocompatibility, and photostability issues. Recent research has explored the synthesis of luminescent dyes from agricultural, industrial, and synthetic waste, leading to materials with improved quantum yields, stability, and reduced environmental impact. This review explores luminescent dyes from conventional organic fluorophores to waste-derived nano-dyes (CDs, QDs, UCNPs) and their applications in bioimaging and chemical sensing. Advances in silica nanoparticle-based luminescent systems, quantum dots, upconversion nanoparticles, metal-organic complexes, and hybrid dye systems have significantly enhanced optical properties and biocompatibility. Waste-derived carbon quantum dots and other nanostructured materials have demonstrated promising applications in biomedical imaging, pollutant detection, and environmental monitoring. Despite significant progress, challenges such as scalability, reproducibility, and regulatory considerations remain. The future of luminescent dye research lies in optimizing synthesis methodologies, improving functional properties, and integrating green chemistry principles. This review provides an in-depth analysis of the latest advancements in waste-derived luminescent dyes, their potential applications, and the challenges that must be addressed to facilitate their broader adoption in biomedical and environmental fields.
Sharma et al. (Sun,) studied this question.