Recent advancements of solid-state emissive carbon dots: A review

Solid-state emissive (SSE) carbon dots (C-dots) have attracted significant attention in last decade due to their ability to enhance the physicochemical, photoluminescent properties and expand the application scope of regular C-dots. In this review article, recent developments on the indirect preparation of SSE C-dots via dispersing C-dots with proper matrices or engineering C-dots surfaces are systematically summarized first. Then the recent advancements on the direct synthesis of SSE C-dots via in situ dispersing, in situ surface engineering or generation of C-dots with aggregation-induced-emission (AIE) features are also highlighted and discussed. Last, advantages, challenges, and perspectives of SSE C-dots are carefully proposed.