Carbon dots in sample preparation and chromatographic separation: Recent advances and future prospects

Carbon dots (CDs) as a new class of zero-dimensional carbon-based nanomaterials that have gained growing interest and attention in many research areas. In addition to their comparable optical properties, CDs have the desired advantages of economy, low toxicity, excellent biocompatibility, simple synthetic routes and abundant carbon source. Since their discovery, CDs have been widely used in sensors, nanomedicine, bioimaging, and photo/electrocatalysis fields. To better understand the significant role of CDs in separation science, it becomes necessary to summarize the applications of CDs in sample preparation and chromatographic separation systematically. In this review, we aim to demonstrate the up-to-date advances of CDs with an emphasis on their properties, classification, synthetic methods and applications in sample preparation and chromatographic separation along with some perspectives on the current challenges and opportunities in this exciting and promising field. This review may open up some insights and inspiration for future research work.