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Surface modification and chemical functionalization of carbon dots: a review

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Abstract

Surface functional groups strongly affect the properties of carbon dots (CDs). Amino, carboxy, and hydroxy groups are most commonly encountered in CDs, and they can be introduced via covalent and noncovalent modification. This article (with 116 refs.) reviews the progress made in the past few years. Following an introduction into the field, a large section covers methods for covalent modification (via amide coupling reactions, silylation, and other reactions including esterification, sulfonylation and copolymerization). Next section reviews methods for noncovalent modifications (π interactions, complexation/chelation, and electrostatic interactions). The resulting modified CDs are powerful nanomaterials for targeting and extracting analytes, and in drug release. The modification of the surface also affects fluorescence quantum yields, complexation capacity, the color of fluorescence, and their quenching capability. Current challenges are critically assessed in the concluding section.

The modification methods of carbon dots (CDs) includes covalent and noncovalent. Covalent modifications include amidation, silylation, esterification, sulfonylation and copolymerization reaction. Noncovalent modifications include electrostatic interactions, complexation and π interactions.

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Acknowledgements

The work described in this manuscript was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51678409, 51638011 and 51578375), Tianjin Research Program of Application Foundation and Advanced Technology (15ZCZDSF00880), State Key Laboratory of Separation Membranes and Membrane Processes (Z1-201507), and the Program for Innovative Research Team in University of Tianjin (TD13-5042).

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  1. State Key Laboratory of Separation Membranes and Membrane Processes, Tianjin Engineering Center for Safety Evaluation of Water Quality & Safeguards Technology, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Tianjin, 300387, People’s Republic of China

    Fanyong Yan, Yingxia Jiang, Xiaodong Sun, Zhangjun Bai, Yan Zhang & Xuguang Zhou

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  1. Fanyong Yan
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  2. Yingxia Jiang
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  3. Xiaodong Sun
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  5. Yan Zhang
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Correspondence to Fanyong Yan.

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Yan, F., Jiang, Y., Sun, X. et al. Surface modification and chemical functionalization of carbon dots: a review. Microchim Acta 185, 424 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-018-2953-9

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