Carbon dots (CDs) have attracted much attention as new types of luminescent carbon nanomaterials in recent years because of their tunable fluorescence, good biocompatibility, high stability, and low cost. In this review, the classification of CDs is overviewed based on their differences in structure. Subsequently, the latest research progress of CDs in fluorescence sensing is systematically summarized and various sensing principles are elucidated in detail, including fluorescence resonance energy transfer, aggregation-induced emission, aggregation-caused quenching, electron transfer, and the inner filter effect. Finally, the challenges and future direction of CD fluorescent probes are discussed in detail. The purpose of this review is to stimulate the design of advanced CD fluorescent probes and achieve the accurate and reliable measurement of analytes in complex samples.
Lou et al. (2025) studied this question.