An account of doping in carbon dots for varied applications

In recent times, carbon dots have emerged as new fluorescent probes. The unique electronic and physical properties of carbon dots find significant applications in different fields like sensing, cell-imaging, catalysis, medicine etc. The intriguing fluorescence, cytocompatibility and nontoxicity of carbon dots are considered for their use in biological science also. The inherent fluorescence of carbon dots is dependent on their structure, method of synthesis etc. However, the fluorescence of carbon dots is known to improve through different chemical manipulation techniques. Among them, doping of heteroatoms like nitrogen, boron, phosphorous, sulphur etc. has made a mark as an interesting protocol to improve the emissive property of carbon dots. In this review, the recent processes of doping have been discussed along with the application of doped carbon dots in different fields.