Carbon Dots and Stability of Their Optical Properties

Carbon dots (CDs) are a new class of materials which have been extensively studied due to their unique optical properties, low toxicity, and abundance of raw materials to synthesize them. In this minireview, it is highlighted that the stability of the optical properties of CDs is an important aspect that has received very little attention. While CDs are usually considered to be photostable, several recent reports show they are prone to photobleaching. Studies of blinking, photobleaching, and photoswitching of CDs are reviewed here. It is noted that there is a lack of systematic studies about the photostability of CDs, and efforts are needed to further study this aspect. Furthermore, it is observed that the stability of CDs is somewhat related to their photoluminescence quantum yield, excitation dependence of PL emission, precursor, and synthesis method used to produce CDs.