Research Progress on Bacterial Imaging and Detection Based on Biomass Carbon Dots

Bacterial infections and antibiotic resistance pose global public health challenges, and traditional detection methods have many limitations. Biomass carbon dots (BCDs), as green fluorescent nanomaterials, have great potential in bacterial imaging and detection. This article systematically reviews the research progress of BCDs from 2014 to 2026, covering five major categories: plant sources, animal sources, microbial sources, waste biomass sources, and other biomass sources, mainstream preparation methods, and core biological and optical properties. It deeply elaborates on their mechanism of action in bacterial imaging and detection, as well as their application progress in point‐of‐care testing (POCT) and food safety monitoring. It also analyzes the current bottlenecks such as synthesis controllability, optical performance, specificity, and clinical translation. In the future, efforts should focus on controllable synthesis, optimization of near‐infrared performance, and integrated diagnosis and treatment applications to accelerate the practical implementation of BCDs.